Hi, dear flight-report members and readers!
In this short FR I'd like to present a review of a very interesting domestic flight in Georgia on a very interesting aircraft: Mestia (UGMS) - Natakhtari (UGSA) on Let L410 Turbolet (operated by AK Air Georgia and marketed as Vanilla Sky). The flight took place on January 5 2022.
Please don't get distracted by incorrect carrier name and incorrect airport codes in the header. AK Air Georgia is not in the FR database and Mestia and Natakhtari airports, being very small (de-facto airfields), don't even have IATA codes. If the moderators add them into the database, I'll be able to correct the header. I'd also notice, that this flight didn't have a number, so let's call it just "L410".
Back then the ticket price was 90 GEL, which is 28 EUR. The current price is still the same.
L410 Flights in Georgia
AK Air Georgia / Vanilla Sky serves with L410 Mestia (UGMS) and Ambrolauri (UGAM) airports from Natakhtari (UGSA) and Kutaisi (KUT). The flights are not daily, and you can check the schedules on the Vanilla Sky website.
The prices are very affordable (but you have to keep in mind that due to the small capacity of the aircraft sometimes the flights can be sold out):
Natakhtari - Mestia: 90 GEL one way;
Kutaisi - Mestia: 50 GEL one way;
Natakhtari - Ambrolauri: 50 GEL one way.
You also have to keep in mind that these flights are prone to delays and cancellations depending on weather conditions due to mountaineous terrain and relatively low operating altitudes of L410 (probably, the aircraft's age also adds to the probability of irrops), and make plans accordingly.
Where Else To Fly L410 In Post-Soviet Countries
If you can go to Uzbekistan, you'll find that Silkavia operates 4 new shining 2023-2024 built L410s (in the same Y19 layout as Vanilla Sky's one) on a few domestic routes from Tashkent (TAS) - like Amirsoy (ARS), Kokand (OQN) and Shahrisabz (RBZ) - on very attractive prices and with much more stable schedule compared to Vanilla Sky' one.
Mestia Queen Tamara Airport (UGMS)
UGMS is located right outside the small town of Mestia and is easily accessible by foot from the town centre. Its terminal is small, but nice.
The Aircraft
The 1990-built OK-TCA arrived from Kutaisi 2 hours late. The skies was not clear that day. At least, thankfully, the flight was not cancelled and I was able to fly L410. It's the smallest aircraft I've ever flown (the largest being A380).
The Cabin
The L410's cabin consists of 19 seats in 1-2 layout. I sat on the left side in a solo seat. A couple of cabin views after the boarding:
The boarding door in the closed position. Unlike the larger aircrafts, it's located on the right side.
The Flight
The Walter M601E engines came to life.
Taxiing to the runway.
Stunning views of the valley housing Mestia and surrounding mountains on takeoff.
An inflight view of the left engine.
The severe beauty of the snowy mountains.
The 2-hour delay of departure resulted in the evening light on the mountains. Even though most of this light was damped by the clouds, the views were stunning.
Views of foothills, partially covered by snow, and of very snowy main Caucasian cordillera far away.
A snow-covered village on the foothills.
The last rays of the setting sun on the main Caucasian cordillera as we're starting our descent.
A forest belt, holding the snow in its surrounding area.
Views of the foothills north of Tbilisi moments before landing at the Natakhtari airfield.
The Cabin After The Flight
Some cabin views upon disembarkment. Sorry for the blurry photos - it was getting dark and I had to hurry.
The Aircraft After The Flight
A view of our L410 after the flight in UGSA.
OK-TCA and its (probably stored) sibling in the Vanilla Sky livery.
Natakhtari Airfield (UGSA)
A beautifully painted hangar in UGSA.
A Cessna-172 (4L-WSA) of Vanilla Sky and a legendary Soviet jeep GAZ-69 "Kozlik" ("Goat") in the pavilion next to this beautiful hangar.
The UGSA "terminal" with ATC tower.
UGSA is located north of Mtskheta - the old Georgian capital - in a quite a distance from Tbilisi city centre, but Vanilla Sky provides a complimentary shuttle service for the passengers, arriving to or departing from Natakhtari. So, it's not a problem to reach Tbilisi once you've arrived to UGSA.
Thank you for your attention and see you in the next FRs!
thanks for the report , i planed to fly with vanilla 3 years ago when i was in georgia but i missed the chance , glad to see someone had an opportunity to do it and write about it here
Unique and very interesting, thank you for the report!