What is the Connection Between David Galstyan and the Armenian Airline that Received Its Certification

The Armenian company "Smart Airlines" LLC received an air operator certificate (AOC) on January 12 for a duration of two years, allowing it to conduct commercial transportation during this period. This is not the first AOC for "Smart Airlines" (formerly "Atlantis Armenian Airlines"), and it is not a new player in aviation. However, in its nature, it may be a unique company, as reported by Hetq.am.

Founded in 2010 by close associates of former Deputy Head of the General Department of Civil Aviation of Armenia, Aram Marutyan, the company was originally named "Air Atlantis" and later "Atlantis Group." In 2018, it was renamed "Atlantis Armenian Airlines." Readers who follow the news on Armenian aviation will remember that this company planned to carry out passenger flights from Yerevan to Kapan and back. However, in October 2020, Marutyan founded a new airline, "NovAir" LLC, which was supposed to operate the Yerevan-Kapan-Yerevan flights, but this did not occur. Following the establishment of "NovAir," Marutyan sold "Atlantis Armenian Airlines" in October 2020 to new owners who renamed it "Smart Airlines" in December of the same year.

Under Marutyan, the airline had already received an AOC and held IATA and ICAO codes, TD and AEU, respectively, which allowed it to conduct international transportation.

Who are the current owners of Smart Airlines?
The new owners of the carrier, who purchased it from Aram Marutyan in October 2020, are two individuals: Edward Ohanyan (1%) and the Yerevan-registered "Innovation Technology Systems" LLC (99%). Indeed, they are the paper owners of the airline. The sole owner of "Innovation Technology Systems" is 42-year-old Arthur Poghosyan from Yerevan. Therefore, he is the indirect owner of 99% of Smart Airlines on paper. However, when we inquired about "Innovation Technology Systems" and Arthur Poghosyan from representatives in Armenia’s UAV sector, they stated that they were not familiar with such a company or individual.

Who is behind Smart Airlines?
In reality, Arthur Poghosyan is connected to businessman David Galstyan, who is better known to the Armenian public as "Patron David." Two years ago, we reported that Poghosyan was the director and shareholder of several companies in which Galstyan's associates worked or currently work. Their direct connection is also evidenced by a construction company involved (currently its activities are temporarily suspended according to the State Revenue Committee), where Arthur Poghosyan is the director, and the ultimate beneficial owner is David Galstyan.

Notably, Poghosyan’s "Innovation Technology Systems" is registered at 73 Bagratunianc St. in Yerevan, which is the site of the "Neutron" factory, owned by David Galstyan. Our investigations have shown that various companies are registered at this address, and they all have ties to "Patron David." Nevertheless, these are not the only indications that David Galstyan is behind Smart Airlines.

To carry out international regular flights, air carriers need to have an IATA two-letter code, while for non-regular (seasonal, charter, one-time) flights, having an ICAO three-letter code is sufficient. As mentioned earlier, "Atlantis Armenian Airlines" had such codes—TD and AEU—from which the company was stripped after losing its AOC. After obtaining a new AOC this January, Smart Airlines has not yet received an IATA code, but it does have an ICAO code. It should be noted that while the IATA two-letter code is a random combination of letters and numbers, for ICAO, the process is structured in such a way that the three-letter code includes the letters of the airline or its owner's name. For example, the ICAO code for the aforementioned "NovAir" is NAI, while other Armenian carriers such as "Armenia Airways" received the AMW code, "Shirak Avia" got SHS, and "Aircompany Armenia" has NGT (the latter is directly related to Georgian aviator Tamaz Gaishvili, whose other company, "Georgian Airways," received the ICAO code TGZ).

Given this background, could it be a coincidence that Smart Airlines has been assigned the ICAO code DGV, which reminds one of "Patron David’s" name—David Galstyan Varazdat?

Who is the owner of Smart Airlines' cargo plane?
As mentioned, "Smart Airlines" may be a unique company in its category. It is currently the only Armenian airline with an AOC whose fleet consists of cargo planes. It was similarly the case at the end of 2020. Just like then, the only aircraft in the airline’s fleet is an IL-76TD cargo plane. Although the State Revenue Committee’s website lists "Smart Airlines"’s area of activity as "international passenger transportation by air," we believe its target market will be cargo transportation.

In 2020, "Smart Airlines" (then "Atlantis Armenian Airlines") operated the IL-76 registered as EK-76345 in Armenia, while now it has another IL-76 registered EK-76074. Notably, the latter was part of another Armenian carrier, "Atlantis European Airways," under the same registration EK-76074 from October 15 to December 31, 2020 (not to be confused with "Atlantis Armenian Airlines"). During the 44-day war, the EK-76074 carried humanitarian cargo to Armenia, among other missions.

This 1992-manufactured aircraft previously operated in Kazakhstan, Russia, Armenia (as part of "Phoenix Aviation" with EK-76442, and "Air Armenia" with EK-76450), Moldova, Ukraine, Zambia, and Kyrgyzstan. For over one and a half years after being registered in the RA aircraft register from October to December 2020, this IL-76TD reappeared in the register in September-December 2022. The registration number was the same—EK-76074, with the registrant being the Armenian company "Lea" LLC, which is the owner of the aircraft. However, during that period, EK-76074 did not have a flightworthiness certificate, meaning it had no right to fly. It was only this January when, upon Smart Airlines assuming its operations, EK-76074 received new registration and a flightworthiness certificate in the Armenian register.

The key point is that the owner of the aircraft, "Lea" LLC, belongs to David Galstyan’s brother, Vardan Galstyan, who is a citizen of Kazakhstan. Established in 2002, V. Galstyan acquired it in 2019 from businessman Naira Nahapetyan (known for her business in hydropower plants) and her partner Adelaida Martirosyan. The company has been registered in Tsaghkadzor since 2004, and according to the State Revenue Committee, its area of activity is construction.

Thus, the identity of the main owner of Smart Airlines, the address of the directly-owned company, the International three-letter code assigned to the airline, as well as who owns the registered aircraft in its fleet, all indicate that the carrier has direct connections to David Galstyan, known as "Patron David."

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