On Friday 5 September 2026, at the official opening of Ambassadori Aviation Village in Kakheti, Peter Sodermans — organiser of the Private Pilot Expedition to Georgia 2026 and Honorary Consul of Georgia in Luxembourg — delivered a keynote speech to the Prime Minister of Georgia, senior ministers, invited guests, Ambassadori Group and the pilots of the expedition.
The speech placed general aviation at the heart of Georgia’s tourism, investment and connectivity story, and set out a sharp contrast between Europe’s increasingly restrictive stance on private aviation and the openness the group encountered throughout the country.
Georgia welcomes aviation.
Peter Sodermans, Ambassadori Aviation Village opening, 5 September 2026
Georgia welcomes pilots.
And Georgia is open to the world.
Reflecting on the significance of general aviation as a driver of high-value, low-impact tourism, Peter Sodermans said:
“General aviation is much more than aircraft flying from one airfield to another. It connects regions. It brings entrepreneurs, professionals, families and travellers directly into areas that often remain outside the traditional tourism routes. These visitors stay in hotels, discover restaurants and Georgian wine, visit regions, meet people — and very often, they return.”
He also drew a pointed contrast with the direction of travel in parts of Europe:
“At a time when general aviation in parts of Europe is too often regarded as something to restrict, regulate or make increasingly difficult, Georgia is demonstrating another approach: seeing aviation as an opportunity.”
The speech closed with a call to fellow pilots to carry the message home:
We should become ambassadors for Georgia ourselves. Tell other pilots what you have seen. Tell them about Kakheti, Batumi, the Caucasus and the hospitality you have experienced. And tell them that Georgia deserves a prominent place on the flying map of Europe.
Because sometimes aviation does much more than connect two airports. It connects countries, cultures and people.
Read the full speech
The complete transcript — with photographs from the ceremony and a video recording to follow — is published on the Honorary Consulate’s website:
Read the full speech on georgia.lu →
A video recording of the speech, filmed by Alejandro Sodermans, will be added here shortly.
