In mid Sept 2013 the General Department of Civil Aviation of Armenia will announce a tender for three Armenian air carriers, Nelly Cherchinyan, Spokesperson of the Department, told ArmInfo's correspondent.
She said that initially the tender was to be held in July. It was postponed due to the fact that the Armenian Government applied to McKinsey & Companг (USA) to prepare a package of proposals on enhancement of competitiveness of air carriages in Armenia. The company's recommendations will be taken into account in the process of preparation of the tender documents, Cherchinyan said. The tender will cover three main destinations: Europe, the CIS and Russia, as well as the Middle East. The main terms of the tender are the technical condition of the planes, the ticket sales system, flight safety and financial stability of the carriers.
Cherchinyan said that only one Armenian air company, Air Armenia, had applied to the General Department of Civil Aviation and received a temporary permit to make flights till mid September. The company will contest a right to get a license to make flights for 5 years.
To recall, in May 2013 the Government of Armenia adopted a concept on liberalization in the air service field. The concept envisages no preferences or exclusive rights for the national air carriers. To recall, Armavia, the national air carrier of Armenia stopped its flights on 1 April 2013 owing to financial problems.