Page 49 - GEORptAug22

25-km-long truck jams reported on Turkey-Georgia border as freight companies tell drivers to avoid Ukraine
with potential for “much greater” results.
The readiness of Georgia's transport infrastructure for facilitating transportation of cargo to Kazakhstan and Central Asia was also noted at the meeting. Kairbek Uskenbayev, Minister of Industry and Infrastructure Development of Kazakhstan, announced on March 29 that export and transit cargos from Kazakhstan would be redirected to the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route crossing Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey due to the war in Ukraine and sanctions imposed against Russia.
Truck jams stretching around 25 kilometres have reportedly built up on Turkey’s Sarp border crossing with Georgia as a result of international freight companies directing their drivers to take diversions that avoid conflict-torn Ukraine.
Drivers hoping to deliver their goods to destinations via the South Caucasus countries of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan are having to wait days to get over the border, according to a report by daily Hurriyet.
Atif Kesim, head of the local chamber of commerce and industry in the Arhavi district of Artvin in Turkey, was quoted as saying: “I travelled all the way from Arhavi to Sarp. The line of trucks is unbelievable. If it goes like this, we will have to cancel the existing freight deals and export agreements. Logistics firms are facing serious problems, so are truck drivers.”
The traffic snarl-ups are a particular problem for fruit and vegetable growers in Turkey, whose main export market is Russia.
“It now takes up to 18 days for a truck to deliver fruits and vegetables to Russia, whereas it took only five days before. This means that produce’s shelf-life expires on the way,” Agil Lankon, a trader who trades goods across Turkey, Azerbaijan and Russia, was reported as saying.
Given uncertainties in relation to collecting payments from buyers in heavily sanctioned Russia, some farmers in Turkey have taken the decision to only send produce to Europe, Hurriyet also reported.
9.1.3 Aviation sector news
Tbilisi Airport to receive larger aircraft following building of additional lane
Tbilisi International Airport will be able to handle larger aircraft after an upgrade that includes the construction of an additional lane and a taxi yard, the Georgian Ministry of Economy said on 5 May.
The upgrades will increase the capacity and safety of the airport's runway and reduce aircraft takeoff and manoeuvre times, as well as other upgrades related to the modern signalling system required for the "full and proper" functioning of the airport and its runways. The airport currently has six runways.
Georgian Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili said the new runway will accommodate large aircraft used to carry cargo, pointing to a "growing flow" of cargo at the airport. He also added that investors are showing an increased interest in developing cargo capacity in the country, saying that Tbilisi Airport can "play the role of a cargo hub" in this effort.
TAV Georgia, the operator of Tbilisi and Batumi International Airports, invested $2.5mn in the project, with the work carried out by the Georgian air navigation service provider Sakaeronavigatsia and TAV Georgia itself.
9.1.4 Automobile sector news
Georgia to spend
Georgia’s government plans to purchase 44 new metro cars for the
49 GEORGIA Country Report August 2022 www.intellinews.com