Yerevan International Airport Zvartnots to keep negotiating with Armavia, but to protect its rights

YEREVAN, November 9. /ARKA/. Yerevan International Airport Zvartnots will continue cooperating with Armavia national air company, said Marcelo Wende, a general manager of CJSC “Armenia-International Airports,” Novosti-Armenia agency reports Friday. 

According to him, the airport will continue negotiating with Armavia air company, but at the same time, Zvartnots will stand for its rights, which is currently to make Armavia pay its debts. 

Zvartnots airport has been suspending the flights of Armavia due to the company’s debts. 

The conflict between Armavia and Zvartnots airport kicked off on March 6, 2012. Armavia argues that the service charges at Zvartnots, Armenia’s main international airport are unreasonably high. Mikhail Baghdasarov, the airline’s majority shareholder since 2005, has several times said that Armavia might be forced to file for bankruptcy unless the charges are reduced.  After the September suspension the sides were said to have signed a new debt-restructuring deal. In case of breach of the agreement the airport reserves the right to sue the airline.

Wende said early this year the airport administration granted special tariffs to Armavia company in order to “help unless the company resolves its financial problems.”

If we continue working the way Armavia is asking us, in other words, to let the company flying without paying, the other air companies would want to enjoy the same privileges, according to him.

And this is unacceptable for the airport’s normal operation, he added.

Wende also said as of now Armavia continues operating its regular flights. 

Armavia was established in 1995. It operates more than 100 flights a week to 40 destinations in 20 countries. In April 2011, it became the first commercial airline to put a Russian-made Sukhoi Superjet 100 into operation, but later cancelled its order for a second Superjet and tried to return the first. However, on October 5, Sukhoi announced that it had reached a new six-month leasing agreement with Armavia on the Superjet. 

Zvartnots airport is run by Armenia - International Airports Company under a 30-year concession agreement signed with the Armenian government in 2001. The owner of the company is the Argentine American International Airports, owned by Argentine citizen of Armenian origin Eduardo Eurnekian. -0-