Luxembourg Pilots Take Off on Expedition to Georgia

On Saturday 29 August 2026, nine light aircraft took off from Luxembourg Airport as part of the 7,400 km (4,000 nautical mile) Private Pilot Expedition to Georgia.

The aircraft from Luxembourg will be joined along the eleven country route by other light aircraft from Europe and Turkey, creating a fleet of 26 aircraft carrying around 60 pilots and assorted passengers.

Conceived by Luxembourg pilot Peter Sodermans, the Private Pilot Expedition to Georgia 2026 is a private initiative, “designed by pilots for pilots”.

Beginning in Luxembourg, the route will see additional air crews joining from Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey. After landing in Georgia, each crew will then make its way back to their respective countries via Greece, Italy and France. The complete route consists of fifteen days of travel, concluding on Saturday 12 September.

According to the organisers, each participant brings their own aircraft, travels under their own responsibility and covers their participation costs, under the endeavour of connecting Europe with the Caucasus region and turning each stop along the route into an opportunity to meet others.

Held under the high patronage of the Honorary Consulate of Georgia in Luxembourg, the initiative forms part of the relationship between the two countries and, by directly connecting pilots, citizens, institutions and economic stakeholders, seeks to extend diplomatic, cultural, tourism and people-to-people exchanges through the experience.

Ambassador of Georgia to the Kingdom of Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and head of the Mission of Georgia to the European Union, Vakhtang (Vato) Makharoblishvili, has backed the initiative since the beginning and remarked: "This expedition reaches far beyond a mere aviation journey - it stands as a powerful platform to deepen cooperation between Georgia and Luxembourg, build stronger bridges among citizens, and widely promote Georgia and its cultural heritage."

Speaking to Chronicle.lu, Peter Sodermans said: "For me, this is much more than flying a group of small aircraft across Europe. We are flying for four days across the continent to reach Kakheti, Georgia, for the grand opening of the Ambassadorial Aviation Village, and our expedition will have the privilege of being its very first international group of guests. What makes this particularly special is the extraordinary welcome awaiting us - top ministers of the Georgian government will be there to greet our pilots, and the level of interest has been enormous.”

He added: “Georgia is an EU candidate country, and I strongly believe initiatives like this can bring our two countries closer in a very practical, human way. We are arriving as pilots, but I hope we will leave having built new friendships, new connections and new opportunities. That is what this expedition is really about - and perhaps we are creating a new classic in European private aviation along the way."

Peter Sodermans describes the expedition as “Schengen in the air”, using the freedom and mobility of private aviation to cross borders, connect people and create friendships between countries.

The expedition is a poignant one for the pilot as he will be accompanied in his two-seater aircraft by his sixteen-year-old son Alejandro, who shares the family’s passion for aviation.

Peter Sodermans noted: “I get to share with him the kind of adventure that shaped so much of my own life - crossing Europe together, sharing the long flying legs, the weather calls, the arrivals and the people we meet along the way... Perhaps that is what aviation is really about in the end: not just aircraft and destinations, but passing a passion from one generation to the next.”

Full details of the expedition can be found at: https://expedition.privatepilot.lu/