Further Airbuses | 1999-2000

(TOP)
Airline - Government of Georgia, opby Georgian Airways
Aircraft - Airbus A319-133/CJ | 4L-PTA
Delivered to the Government of Georgia, 1999
Livery - Presidential Aircraft Livery 1999
Country - Georgia

(BOTTOM)
Airline - Georgian Airways
Aircraft - Airbus A320-232 | 4L-YDA
Delivered to Georgian Airways, 2000
Stored at Tbilisi Shota Rustaveli International Airport, 2008
Returned to Service, 2008
Livery - Standard 1995
Country - Georgia

In 1999, President Eduard Shevardnadze's government took delivery of an A319CJ to be used as a presidential transport (as previously the government had been leasing Georgian Airways Tu-154s and A321s). 4L-PTA was one of the first Airbus A319-based business jets to be delivered to any customer, and was configured with a five-zone interior installed by Lufthansa Technik (see floor plan below). Zone one, by the forward entry door, housed a pantry, galley, crew rest area, crew lavatory and guest bathroom. Zone two was the primary seating area, with six seats in a club configuration. Zone three, above the wings, was a dining/meeting area, with a large table capable of fitting six people, and zone four was the secondary seating area, with a capacity of seven people spread across several armchairs and a couch. Finally, zone five contained the master bedroom (plus an office space), and the master bathroom, which included a shower. The R2 and L2 doors were plugged and deactivated on this aircraft, as access to them was obstructed by the master bathroom. The range of the A319CJ allowed it to fly basically anywhere the government needed non-stop including to the east coast of the US. It required two pilots and one cabin attendant to operate (three pilots and two cabin attendants on long-haul flights), and could fit 20 passengers (with sleeping space for twelve).

Because Georgian Airways A321 pilots obviously already had training on the A320 family, it was decided that the new presidential transport aircraft would be operated by Georgian Airways crews and maintained at the Georgian Airways base in Tbilisi. It was painted in a livery that was somewhat inspired by Georgian Airways' one, incorporating a similar red stripe with a gradient at the front, but the shade of red used was darker to match the country's flag, and the stripe itself was thinner. The tail was quite different - it was painted light gray, with Georgia's flag displayed at the top. While the plane was used for legitimate government business (starting with its nonstop flight to New York right after delivery, for President Shevardnadze's appearance at the UN in 1999), it was also often treated as the President's private jet. Shevardnadze's government was criticized extensively for spending tens of millions of dollars on a brand-new A319CJ, and millions more each year on operating it, at a time when Georgia was basically a failed state and had very little actual 'economy' to speak of.

In addition to the above, in 2000 Georgian Airways took delivery of two A320-232s, to be used on routes that did not warrant the larger capacity of its A321s. With this, the airline's last two Tu-154s were retired, meaning its jet fleet now consisted of eight Airbuses (plus the A319CJ operated for the government) and eight Fokkers. Later, in 2005, three more A320s would be acquired. The A320s were configured similarly to the A321s, but obviously with less capacity - they had ten seats in Business and 144 in Economy, for a total of 154 passengers.