Yerevan /Mediamax/. Armenia is interested in appearance of local airlines in the market of minor aviation, Head of the Staff of Armenia’s General Department of Civil Aviation (GDCA) Sahak Hakobyan stated in an interview to Mediamax.

According to him, minor aviation is free from competition from the part of mighty foreign airlines and may develop, basing on domestic demand.

“We, of course, are interested in attracting foreign investors in the market of minor aviation of Armenia, but not in the form of capture of the market by foreign air carriers, but in the form of investments in the infrastructure and in the local companies”, Sahak Hakobyan stated.

Commenting on the opinions, according to which the presence of a national air carrier hinders full development of the market, Sahak Hakobyan stated that otherwise a few hundreds of workplaces will be lost in Armenia, and this is why the government tries to avoid full capture of both major and minor aviation markets by foreign companies.

Advisor to the Head of GDCA Grigor Nazaryan in his turn stated in an interview to Mediamax that the development of minor aviation in Armenia will contribute to development of agriculture, tourism, the mineral resource complex, will help realize scientific-research and search-and-rescue operations.

According to Grigor Nazaryan, in 2009, regulations will be elaborated, which will allow in facilitated order receiving the right for operating aircrafts and permission for realizing flights with implementation of international norms of aviation safety and securing control over the execution.

Grigor Nazaryan also informed that within the framework of the measures to develop minor aviation, reconstruction of old and construction of new airdromes attracting private investments will be launched, in-detail digital aviation maps of Armenia will be composed, beacons will be places on mountain tops, buildings and transmission lines, points for meteorological observations will be set up and training courses for amateur pilots will be organized.

Mediamax notes that on January 8, 2009, the government approved the conception to develop Armenia’s minor aviation. Armenia’s GDCA Head Artem Movsisyan noted that the conception aims at securing dynamic communication and economic integration of the regions of Armenia.