Shota Rustaveli Tbilisi International Airport

თბილისის შოთა რუსთაველის სახელობის საერთაშორისო აეროპორტი
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerUnited Airports of Georgia LLC
OperatorTAV Airports Holding
ServesTbilisi
LocationTbilisi, Georgia
Hub for
Elevation AMSL1,624 ft / 495 m
Coordinates41°40′09″N 044°57′17″E / 41.66917°N 44.95472°E / 41.66917; 44.95472
Websitehttps://tbilisiairport.com/
Map
TBS/UGTB is located in Georgia
TBS/UGTB
TBS/UGTB
Location within Georgia
TBS/UGTB is located in Asia
TBS/UGTB
TBS/UGTB
TBS/UGTB (Asia)
TBS/UGTB is located in West and Central Asia
TBS/UGTB
TBS/UGTB
TBS/UGTB (West and Central Asia)
TBS/UGTB is located in Europe
TBS/UGTB
TBS/UGTB
TBS/UGTB (Europe)
TBS/UGTB is located in Eurasia
TBS/UGTB
TBS/UGTB
TBS/UGTB (Eurasia)
TBS/UGTB is located in Afro-Eurasia
TBS/UGTB
TBS/UGTB
TBS/UGTB (Afro-Eurasia)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
13R/31L 3,000 9,843 Concrete
13L/31R (closed) 2,500 8,202 Asphalt
Helipads
Number Length Surface
m ft
H1 30 98 Asphalt/Concrete
Statistics (2022)
Passengers2,998,785
Passenger change 21-22Increase78%
Source: Georgian AIP at EUROCONTROL[1]

Shota Rustaveli Tbilisi International Airport (Georgian: თბილისის შოთა რუსთაველის სახელობის საერთაშორისო აეროპორტი) (IATA: TBS, ICAO: UGTB), formerly Novo Alexeyevka International Airport, is the busiest international airport in Georgia, located 17 km (11 mi) southeast of capital Tbilisi. The airport handled 3.7 million passengers in 2019. Due to the global coronavirus pandemic, the airspace of Georgia was closed for most of 2020 causing the number of travelers through Tbilisi airport to drop by 84% to less than 600,000.

General

Tbilisi Airport is home to Georgian flag carrier Georgian Airways and MyWay Airlines, which was founded in 2017. The airport is served by approximately 30 airlines, mainly from Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia serving roughly 30 destinations out of Tbilisi. Due to the increasing popularity of Georgia and the city of Tbilisi as a tourist destination, the number of travelers grew since 2010 from 1 million to almost 4 million until the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. The airspace of Georgia was closed for most of 2020 with the exception of government-mandated expatriation flights,[2] but regular international air traffic resumed as of February 2021.

Following a political row in June 2019, Russia banned flights to and from Georgia starting July 8, 2019.[3] Georgian Airways from Tbilisi to Moscow-Vnukovo have since been operated by Aircompany Armenia through Yerevan. The ban was still in effect at the end of 2021. The Kremlin has also banned all Russian airlines from flying to Georgia. A similar ban was in effect during 2006–2008.[4]

The George W. Bush Avenue (Kakheti Highway) leads from the airport to the center of Tbilisi.[5] A train service is available as well opposite the exit of the airport building. The train leaves twice a day from the modernist station that opened in 2007.

History

Terminal of 1952, now VIP lounge

The first airport terminal building was constructed in 1952. Designed by the architect V. Beridze in the style of Stalinist architecture the building featured a floor plan with symmetric axes and a monumental risalit in the form of a portico. The two wings featured blind arcades in giant order. A new terminal building was completed in 1990, designed in the International style.[6]

In 1981 Tbilisi airport was the 12th largest airport in the Soviet Union, with 1,478,000 passengers on so-called central lines, which were flights connecting Tbilisi with cities in other Soviet republics.[7] After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the civil war and the economic crisis in the newly independent Georgia, passenger numbers had dropped to 230,000 by 1998.[8]

Tbilisi International Airport is operated by TAV Urban Georgia since October 2005 which concession has been extended until at least 2027.[9] In Georgia, the company also operates Batumi Airport for a 20-year term since May 2007. TAV Airports Holding, which owns 76% shares in Tbilisi airport operator TAV Urban Georgia, agreed with the Georgian state-owned United Airports of Georgia to reconstruct and extend the unused runway, one of the two runways at the Tbilisi airport, in line with ICAO standards to accept all type of aircraft, including the Boeing 747-8, Airbus A380-800, Antonov An-225 and Antonov An-124. A new F Code taxiway was also planned.

Modernisation

February 2007 saw the completion of a US$90.5 million reconstruction project, with the construction of a new international terminal, a car park, improvements to the apron, taxiway and runway and the acquisition of ground handling equipment and an annual passenger capacity of 2.8 million.[10] A rail link to the city centre was constructed, with an infrequent rail service of two trains per day each way. The airport got a contemporary and functional design, to provide an optimized flow of both passengers and luggage from the parking lot to the planes, with a 25,000 m2 (270,000 sq ft) total usable area, while future expansions can be implemented without interrupting terminal operations. Various food and beverage operations have been incorporated in the new terminal, including four duty-free stores. The implementing party for the project was TAV Urban Georgia, a concessionaire and special purpose vehicle for the construction and operation of the airport, and the project was financed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).[11]

In 2016, the main runway of the airport was renovated and equipped with new navigation lighting. Runway guard lights, LED stop bar signals and guidance signs at all the holding positions on the airport's main runway were also added The instrument landing system was also upgraded to CAT II, which enables aircraft to land during poor weather conditions. The airfield lighting control and monitoring system was upgraded, including installation of new lighting signals on all four taxiways. In 2017, a new arrival terminal with an area of 12,000 square metres (130,000 sq ft), integrated with the existing terminal building, was completed to meet the increasing numbers of travelers. The terminal's capacity was increased to 3.5 million passengers per year.[12] In addition to the expansion of the terminal building, this $33 million project implemented, among other things, a new boarding bridge with two exits, five new aircraft parking spaces, three 150-meter luggage racks and a new parking lot for 250 cars.[13]

A new Tbilisi metro overground line linking airport with the city was announced in October 2018. Proposed extension would connect the airport with Samgori metro station as transfer point with the existing metro line. Construction was set to begin in late 2019,[14] but the project was effectively abandoned in spring 2021 when a feasibility study did not produce the desired outcome.[15]

Airlines and destinations

Tbilisi airport mainly serves destinations in Europe and the Middle East. Below are destinations served according to press releases and the schedules authorised by the Georgian Civil Aviation Agency on a seasonal basis.[16] Last updated May 2023.

Passenger

AirlinesDestinations
Aegean Airlines Athens
Seasonal: Thessaloniki[16]
Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, Sharjah[16]
Air Astana Almaty[16]
Seasonal: Astana[16]
Air Cairo Sharm El Sheikh[16]
Air Dilijans Yerevan (suspended)[17]
Air France Paris–Charles de Gaulle
airBaltic Riga
AnadoluJet Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen
Arkia Tel Aviv
ATA Airlines Tehran–Imam Khomeini
Austrian Airlines Vienna (resumes 2 May 2024) [18]
Azerbaijan Airlines Baku[19]
Azimuth Mineralnye Vody,[20] Moscow–Vnukovo,[21][22] Sochi,[23] Ufa (begins 26 January 2024)[24]
Belavia Minsk
China Southern Airlines Ürümqi[25]
Condor Seasonal: Frankfurt[26][27][28]
Eurowings Berlin,[29][30] Düsseldorf[31]
Seasonal: Stuttgart[16]
Fly Arna Yerevan[32]
Fly Baghdad Baghdad[33]
flydubai Dubai–International
Flynas Riyadh[16]
Seasonal: Dammam, Jeddah
FlyOne Yerevan[16]
Georgian Airways Amsterdam, Bergamo,[34][35] Berlin, Larnaca,[34] Moscow–Vnukovo,[36] Munich,[18]Nice,[37] Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Saint Petersburg,[38] Tel Aviv, Thessaloniki, Vienna, Yerevan
Georgian Wings Baku,[39] Batumi,[40] Chișinău (begins 20 February 2024)[41]
Gulf Air Bahrain
IndiGo Delhi[42]
Iran Aseman Airlines Tehran–Imam Khomeini
Israir Airlines Tel Aviv
Jazeera Airways Kuwait City
Kuwait Airways Kuwait City
LOT Polish Airlines Warsaw–Chopin
Lufthansa Munich
Pars Air Shiraz[43]
Pegasus Airlines Ankara, Antalya, Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen, İzmir[16]
Qatar Airways Doha[44]
Qeshm Air Tehran–Imam Khomeini
Red Wings Airlines Chelyabinsk,[45] Kazan,[45] Moscow–Zhukovsky,[20] Samara,[45] Saint Petersburg,[45] Sochi,[46] Yekaterinburg[45]
Salam Air Seasonal: Muscat
SCAT Airlines Aktau
Sepehran Airlines Tehran–Imam Khomeini
Sun d'Or Seasonal: Tel Aviv
SunExpress Seasonal: Ankara,[47] Antalya,[47] İzmir[47]
Turkish Airlines Istanbul
Uzbekistan Airways Tashkent
Varesh Airlines Tehran–Imam Khomeini[48]
Zagros Airlines Tehran–Imam Khomeini

Cargo

AirlinesDestinations
Cargolux Baku, Luxembourg[16]
Silk Way West Airlines Baku[49]
Turkish Cargo Istanbul, İzmir[16]

Statistics

Annual passenger statistics Tbilisi International Airport[50]
YearPassengersChange
Annual passenger traffic at TBS airport. See Wikidata query.
2023 3,694,205[51]Increase 23%
2022 2,998,785[52]Increase 78%
2021 1,683,696Increase 185%
2020 590,089Decrease 84.0%
2019 3,692,202Decrease 3.1%
2018 3,808,619Increase 20.4%
2017 3,164,139 Increase 40.5%
2016 2,252,535Increase 22.0%
2015 1,847,111Increase 17.3%
2014 1,575,386Increase 9.7%
2013 1,436,046Increase 17.8%
2012 1,219,175Increase 15.2%
2011 1,058,679Increase 28.7%
2010 822,772Increase 17.1%
2009 702,916Decrease 1.7%
2008 714,976Increase 16.1%
2007 615,873Increase 8.5%
2006 567,402Increase 3.7%
2005 547,150Steady
Top 5 Most Popular Routes [53]
CountryDestinationAirportWeekly flightsAirlines
TurkeyIstanbulIstanbul Airport, Sabiha Gökçen Airport52Turkish Airlines (4 daily), Pegasus Airlines (17 weekly), AnadoluJet (1 daily)
IsraelTel AvivBen Gurion Airport23Georgian Airways (12 weekly), Israir Airlines (5 weekly), El Al (4 weekly), Arkia (2 weekly)
UAEDubaiDubai-International21flydubai (3 daily)
AzerbaijanBakuHeydar Aliyev Airport21Buta Airways (3 daily)
ArmeniaYerevanZvartnots International Airport21Aircompany Armenia (2 daily), FlyOne Armenia (4 weekly), Fly Arna (3 weekly)

See also

References

  1. ↑ "EAD Basic". Archived from the original on 28 May 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2009.
  2. ↑ "Georgia resumes regular flights today". Agenda.ge. 1 February 2021. Archived from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  3. ↑ "Putin's Ban On Direct Russia-Georgia Flights Comes Into Force". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 8 July 2019. Archived from the original on 8 April 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  4. ↑ "Moscow ends Georgian flight embargo". France 24. 26 March 2008. Archived from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  5. ↑ "Tbilisi Officials Name Street After Bush". Associated Press News. 14 September 2005. Archived from the original on 27 November 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  6. ↑ Baulig, Josef; Maia Mania; Hans Mildenberg; Karl Ziegler (2004). Architekturführer Tbilisi (in German and Georgian). Landeshauptstadt Saarbrücken/Technische Universität Kaiserslautern. p. 70. ISBN 3-936890-39-0.
  7. ↑ Sagers, Matthew; Thomas Maraffa (July 1990). "Soviet Air-Passenger Transportation Network". Geographical Review. American Geographical Society. 80 (3): 269. doi:10.2307/215304. JSTOR 215304.
  8. ↑ "Global transport" (13–15). Stroudgate: Chartered Institute of Transport in the UK. 1998: 97. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. ↑ Civil Georgia. "Civil.Ge - TAV Gets Tbilisi Airport Operation Extension for Planned USD 65m Investment". Archived from the original on 5 February 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  10. ↑ "New Airport Terminal Opened in Tbilisi". 7 February 2007. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  11. ↑ "IFC and EBRD to Finance TAV's Airport Operations in Georgia". International Finance Corporation. 17 May 2006. Archived from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  12. ↑ "Tbilisi Airport's New Arrivals Terminal, Tbilisi, Georgia". airport-technology.com. 1 December 2017. Archived from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  13. ↑ "New Terminal Opens at Tbilisi International Airport". Georgia Today. 26 September 2017. Archived from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  14. ↑ "A new metro, railway and electric cars: promises made to the Georgian public a week before elections". 22 October 2018. Archived from the original on 31 December 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  15. ↑ "Tbilisi City Hall may refuse to implement overground metro project in the direction of Lilo-Samgori-Airport". Inter Press News. 16 March 2021. Archived from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Air traffic schedule for the summer navigation season of 2023". Georgian Civil Aviation Agency (in Georgian). 15 October 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  17. ↑ "Armenia's Air Dilijans suspends flight operations".
  18. 1 2 "Austrian Airlines-ი თბილისის საერთაშორისო აეროპორტში იწყებს ოპერირებას". Avianews.ge (in German). 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  19. ↑ "Buta Airways August – October 2023 Network – 30JUL23". AeroRoutes. 1 August 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  20. 1 2 "В Грузии сообщили о новых авиарейсах из России". Эхо Кавказа (in Russian). 25 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  21. ↑ "Georgia's aviation authority issues flight permit for Russia's Azimuth airline". Agenda.ge. 16 May 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  22. ↑ "Azimuth Adds Moscow – Georgia Routes in NW23". AeroRoutes. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  23. ↑ "«Азимут» начинает полеты в Тбилиси из Сочи и в Батуми из Москвы". Эхо Кавказа (in Russian). 25 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  24. ↑ "Azimuth Adds Ufa – Tbilisi From late-Jan 2024". AeroRoutes. 29 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  25. ↑ "China Southern Airlines resumes flights to Georgia after Covid hiatus". Trend News Agency. 28 January 2023. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  26. ↑ "German Condor Airlines to launch regular flights to Georgia". Trend.az. 16 February 2022. Archived from the original on 16 February 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  27. ↑ "მაისიდან ახალი ავიაკომპანია Condor Airlines იწყებს საქართველოში ოპერირებას (New airline Condor Airlines will start operating in Georgia in May)". Formula News (in Georgian). 16 February 2022. Archived from the original on 16 February 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  28. ↑ "Condor temporarily suspends Tbilisi and Yerevan". 18 October 2023.
  29. ↑ "Eurowings Adds Berlin – Tbilisi From mid-Dec 2023". AeroRoutes. 14 August 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  30. ↑ "Neue Strecken". Eurowings (in German). Archived from the original on 18 May 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  31. ↑ Wert, Jakob (9 April 2021). "Eurowings to launch its first ever routes to Russia, Georgia". International Flight Network. International Flight Network (IFN). Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  32. ↑ "Fly Arna launches Tbilisi flights". Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  33. ↑ "Fly Baghdad Schedules August 2023 Tbilisi Launch". AeroRoutes. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  34. 1 2 "Georgian Airways June 2023 Network Additions". AeroRoutes. 7 June 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  35. ↑ "Georgian Airways adds 3 new destinations from Tbilisi". SpaceNews.Ge მედია პლატფორმა. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  36. ↑ "Georgian Airways to launch Tbilisi-Moscow-Tbilisi flights from May 20". Interpressnews. 16 May 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  37. ↑ "GEORGIAN AIRWAYS ADDS NICE SERVICE FROM JULY 2023". Aeroroutes. 19 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  38. ↑ "Georgian Airways Resumes 2 Russian Routes in Dec 2023". AeroRoutes. 8 November 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  39. ↑ "Georgian Wings Launches International Flights on the Tbilisi- Baku-Tbilisi route".
  40. ↑ "Georgian Wings airline launching Tbilisi-Batumi flights".
  41. ↑ Dolghii, Ana Maria (8 December 2023). "Georgian Wings lansează cursa avia Tbilisi - Chișinău - Tbilisi. Cât costă biletele". NewsMaker (in Romanian). Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  42. ↑ "INDIGO PLANS TBILISI AUGUST 2023 LAUNCH". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  43. ↑ "Pars Air launches Shiraz-Tbilisi flights". 22 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  44. ↑ "Qatar Airways Adds Boeing 737 MAX Tbilisi Service From Dec 2023". AeroRoutes. 2 October 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  45. 1 2 3 4 5 "Российская Red Wings планирует выполнять в Грузию 23 рейса в неделю". Эхо Кавказа (in Russian). 27 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  46. ↑ "The airline Red Wings to operate Sochi-Tbilisi-Sochi and Moscow-Kutaisi-Moscow flights from June of this year". Interpress News. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  47. 1 2 3 "SunExpress NS23 Routes Addition Summary – 22NOV22". Archived from the original on 23 November 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  48. ↑ "Varesh Airlines Destinations". Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  49. ↑ "Schedules & Routes". Archived from the original on 28 December 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  50. ↑ "Number of Passengers Served Tbilisi International Airport". gcaa.ge. Civil Aviation Agency of Georgia. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  51. ↑ "BMG".
  52. ↑ "According to total data for 2022, the number of flights recovered to the level of 88% from pre-Covid levels, whereas passenger count - to the level of 85% (in Georgian)". Georgian Civil Aviation Authority. 16 January 2023. Archived from the original on 18 January 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  53. ↑ "2022-2023 winter schedule". GCAA. Archived from the original on 26 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
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