Tbilisi International Airport
Shota Rustaveli Tbilisi International Airport თბილისის შოთა რუსთაველის სახელობის საერთაშორისო აეროპორტი | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Summary | |||||||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
Owner | United Airports of Georgia LLC | ||||||||||||||
Operator | TAV Airports Holding | ||||||||||||||
Serves | Tbilisi | ||||||||||||||
Location | Tbilisi, Georgia | ||||||||||||||
Hub for | |||||||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 1,624 ft / 495 m | ||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 41°40′09″N 044°57′17″E / 41.66917°N 44.95472°E | ||||||||||||||
Website | https://tbilisiairport.com/ | ||||||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Helipads | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Statistics (2023) | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Shota Rustaveli Tbilisi International Airport (Georgian: თბილისის შოთა რუსთაველის სახელობის საერთაშორისო აეროპორტი) (IATA: TBS, ICAO: UGTB), 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. The airport is operated by TAV Airports Holding, making it a part of Groupe ADP.
Over 45 airlines operate from the airport, with nonstop or direct flights to over 25 countries.[2][3]
Tbilisi Airport is a hub for Georgian Airways, flag carrier of Georgia, as well as for Georgian Wings, MyWay Airlines and Camex.
In 2015, Tbilisi City Assembly named the airport after famous medieval Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli.[4]
General
[edit]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,[5] 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.[6] 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.[7]
The George W. Bush Avenue (Kakheti Highway) leads from the airport to the center of Tbilisi.[8] 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
[edit]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 avant-corps 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.[9]
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.[10] 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.[11]
Tbilisi International Airport is operated by TAV Airports Holding (TAV) Urban Georgia since October 2005 which concession has been extended until at least 2027.[12] In Georgia, the company also operates Batumi International 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
[edit]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.[13] 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 entity 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).[14]
- 2007 departure lounge
- Ground floor check-in
- Spacious passport control
- New arrivals, 2017
- Tbilisi Airport station
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.[15] 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.[16]
A new Tbilisi Metro overground line linking airport with the city was announced in October 2018. The 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,[17] but the project was effectively abandoned in spring 2021 when a feasibility study did not produce the desired outcome.[18]
Airlines and destinations
[edit]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.[19] Last updated May 2023.
Passenger
[edit]Cargo
[edit]Airlines | Destinations |
---|---|
Cargolux | Baku, Luxembourg[19] |
My Freighter | Tashkent[71] |
SF Airlines | Ürümqi[72] |
Silk Way West Airlines | Baku[73] |
Turkish Cargo | Istanbul, İzmir[19] |
Statistics
[edit]Annual passenger statistics Tbilisi International Airport[74] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Passengers | Change |
| ||
2023 | 3,694,205[75] | 23% | |||
2022 | 2,998,785[76] | 78% | |||
2021 | 1,683,696 | 185% | |||
2020 | 590,089 | 84.0% | |||
2019 | 3,692,202 | 3.1% | |||
2018 | 3,808,619 | 20.4% | |||
2017 | 3,164,139 | 40.5% | |||
2016 | 2,252,535 | 22.0% | |||
2015 | 1,847,111 | 17.3% | |||
2014 | 1,575,386 | 9.7% | |||
2013 | 1,436,046 | 17.8% | |||
2012 | 1,219,175 | 15.2% | |||
2011 | 1,058,679 | 28.7% | |||
2010 | 822,772 | 17.1% | |||
2009 | 702,916 | 1.7% | |||
2008 | 714,976 | 16.1% | |||
2007 | 615,873 | 8.5% | |||
2006 | 567,402 | 3.7% | |||
2005 | 547,150 |
Country | Destination | Airport | Weekly flights | Airlines |
---|---|---|---|---|
Turkey | Istanbul | Istanbul Airport, Sabiha Gökçen Airport | 52 | Turkish Airlines (4 daily), Pegasus Airlines (17 weekly), AnadoluJet (1 daily) |
Israel | Tel Aviv | Ben Gurion Airport | 23 | Georgian Airways (12 weekly), Israir Airlines (5 weekly), El Al (4 weekly), Arkia (2 weekly) |
UAE | Dubai | Dubai-International | 21 | flydubai (3 daily) |
Azerbaijan | Baku | Heydar Aliyev Airport | 21 | Buta Airways (3 daily) |
Armenia | Yerevan | Zvartnots International Airport | 21 | Aircompany Armenia (2 daily), FlyOne Armenia (4 weekly), Fly Arna (3 weekly) |
Accidents
[edit]On 20 July 1992, a Tupolev Tu-154 cargo plane overran the runway and crashed during a takeoff attempt, killing all 24 occupants and 4 on the ground.[78]
See also
[edit]- Georgian Civil Aviation Administration
- List of the busiest airports in the former USSR
- List of airports in Georgia
- Transport in Georgia
References
[edit]- ^ "EAD Basic". Archived from the original on 28 May 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2009.
- ^ "Airport Route Map". Tbilisi International Airport. Archived from the original on 29 March 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ^ "Airlines". Tbilisi International Airport. Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ^ "თბილისის საერთაშორისო აეროპორტს შოთა რუსთაველის სახელი მიენიჭა" [Tbilisi International Airport was named after Shota Rustaveli]. GHN (in Georgian). 30 June 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ^ "Georgia resumes regular flights today". Agenda.ge. 1 February 2021. Archived from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Moscow ends Georgian flight embargo". France 24. 26 March 2008. Archived from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
- ^ "Tbilisi Officials Name Street After Bush". Associated Press News. 14 September 2005. Archived from the original on 27 November 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Sagers, Matthew; Thomas Maraffa (July 1990). "Soviet Air-Passenger Transportation Network". Geographical Review. 80 (3). American Geographical Society: 269. Bibcode:1990GeoRv..80..266S. doi:10.2307/215304. JSTOR 215304.
- ^ (13–15). Stroudgate: Chartered Institute of Transport in the UK. 1998: 97.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help); Missing or empty|title=
(help)[full citation needed] - ^ 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.
- ^ "New Airport Terminal Opened in Tbilisi". 7 February 2007. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "New Terminal Opens at Tbilisi International Airport". Georgia Today. 26 September 2017. Archived from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Air traffic schedule for the summer navigation season of 2023". Georgian Civil Aviation Agency (in Georgian). 15 October 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
- ^ "AEGEAN AIRLINES NS23 INTERNATIONAL NETWORK ADDITIONS".
- ^ Liu, Jim (25 October 2024). "Air China Adds Urumqi – Tbilisi in late-Dec 2024". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
- ^ "Air France NS24 Paris European Frequency Variations – 21JAN24". Aeroroutes.
- ^ "AJet NS24 New Flight Number Designations – 12MAR24". Aeroroutes.
- ^ "Austrian Resumes Tbilisi Service in May 2024". AeroRoutes. 15 January 2024. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
- ^ "Buta Airways August – October 2023 Network – 30JUL23". AeroRoutes. 1 August 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ "В Грузии сообщили о новых авиарейсах из России". Эхо Кавказа (in Russian). 25 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
- ^ "Georgia's aviation authority issues flight permit for Russia's Azimuth airline". Agenda.ge. 16 May 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
- ^ "Azimuth Adds Moscow – Georgia Routes in NW23". AeroRoutes. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
- ^ "Авиакомпания Азимут начала программу полетов из Пулково в Тбилиси". azimuth.ru. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ "Azimuth Expands Sochi Network in NS24". AeroRoutes. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- ^ "Azimuth Adds Ufa – Tbilisi From late-Jan 2024". AeroRoutes. 29 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ "British Airways announces direct flights to Georgian capital, Tbilisi – 19 September 2024".
- ^ "British Airways Resumes Tbilisi Service in late-March 2025". Aeroroutes. Aeroroutes. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
- ^ "Centrum Air". www.centrum-air.com. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "EasyJet announces launch of flight services in Georgia – 19 September 2024".
- ^ {{Cite web|url=https://agenda.ge/en/news/2024/41358#gsc.tab=0%7Ctitle=Edelweiss Air to launch Zurich-Tbilisi flights in April - United Airports of Georgia|website=www.agenda.ge|access-date=30 October 2024|
- ^ "Eurowings Adds Berlin – Tbilisi From mid-Dec 2023". AeroRoutes. 14 August 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
- ^ "Neue Strecken". Eurowings (in German). Archived from the original on 18 May 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Mahmoud, Sinan (25 January 2024). "Fly Baghdad grounds planes as Iraqi government orders inquiry into US sanctions". The National. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ "FlyOne NS23 Chisinau Network Additions – 11MAY23". Aeroroutes.com. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ "Fly One Armenia Summer 2022 Network Expansion". Aeroroutes.com. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ "Georgian Airways Increases Amsterdam Flights From May 2023". Aeroroutes.com. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ a b "Georgian Airways June 2023 Network Additions". AeroRoutes. 7 June 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
- ^ "Georgian Airways adds 3 new destinations from Tbilisi". SpaceNews.Ge მედია პლატფორმა. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
- ^ "Georgian Airways to launch Tbilisi-Moscow-Tbilisi flights from May 20". Interpressnews. 16 May 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
- ^ "Georgian Airways-ი ახალ ევროპულ მიმართულებას ამატებს". Avianews.ge (in German). 13 November 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "Georgian Airways Adds Nice Service From July 2023". Aeroroutes. 19 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- ^ Mammadov, Ingilab (24 August 2024). "Georgian Airways to launch flights to another Russian city". Trend.Az. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
- ^ "Georgian Airways Resumes 2 Russian Routes in Dec 2023". AeroRoutes. 8 November 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
- ^ "Daily Direct Flights To Tel Aviv". georgian-airways.com. Georgian Airways. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ Liu, Jim (23 September 2024). "Georgian Airways Nov 2024 Seychelles Charters". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
- ^ Liu, Jim (3 October 2024). "Georgian Wings Adds Tbilisi – Trabzon From mid-Oct 2024". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
- ^ Dolghii, Ana Maria (8 December 2023). "Georgian Wings lansează cursa avia Tbilisi - Chișinău - Tbilisi. Cât costă biletele". NewsMaker (in Romanian). Retrieved 13 December 2023.
- ^ "Do Prahy začnou létat Georgian Wings, nabídnou linku do Tbilisi". Airways.cz. March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "Indigo Plans Tbilisi August 2023 Launch". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- ^ "Israir NS24 Leased Smartwings Boeing 737 Operations". AeroRoutes. 21 March 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ "Destinations". www.jordanaviation.jo. Jordan Aviation. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
- ^ "Pars Air launches Shiraz-Tbilisi flights". 22 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
- ^ "Qatar Airways Adds Boeing 737 MAX Tbilisi Service From Dec 2023". AeroRoutes. 2 October 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Российская Red Wings планирует выполнять в Грузию 23 рейса в неделю". Эхо Кавказа (in Russian). 27 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ "Red Wings Adds Moscow Zhukovsky – Tbilisi From late-April 2024". AeroRoutes. 5 April 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "SKY EXPRESS NW24 ATHENS NETWORK ADDITIONS". 13 August 2024.
- ^ https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/240116-lyns24320
- ^ a b c "SunExpress NS23 Routes Addition Summary – 22NOV22". Archived from the original on 23 November 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
- ^ "Transavia Adds Amsterdam – Tbilisi From late-April 2024". AeroRoutes. 19 January 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
- ^ "Transavia France starts flights from Paris to Tbilisi". 18 September 2024.
- ^ "Varesh Airlines Destinations". Retrieved 5 June 2023.
- ^ "My Freighter routes and destinations". Flightradar24. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ Arabidze, Maia (19 June 2024). "The Chinese airline SF Airlines will perform cargo flights at Tbilisi International Airport". AviaNews.ge (in Georgian). Retrieved 20 June 2024.
- ^ "Schedules & Routes". Archived from the original on 28 December 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "BMG". 8 January 2024.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "2022-2023 winter schedule". GCAA. Archived from the original on 26 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
External links
[edit]- Media related to Tbilisi International Airport at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website
- Current weather for UGTB at NOAA/NWS
- Accident history for TBS at Aviation Safety Network