Passenger traffic at Georgian airports up 33% in January-March

Georgia’s three international airports served 1,050 864,506 passengers between January-March - a 33 percent increase over the same period of 2022 and a three percent increase compared to the pre-pandemic figures of 2019, the Georgian Civil Aviation Agency said on Thursday.

Between them, the three facilities served the following numbers of passengers:

• Tbilisi International Airport - 713,660 passengers or a 41% increase y/y
• Kutaisi International Airport - 253,073 passengers or a 108% increase
• Batumi International Airport - 77,077 passengers or a 13% increase

The country’s rural airports also saw an increase in passenger numbers in the first quarter, with central Georgia’s Natakhtari Airport serving 4,306 passengers in the reporting period, marking a 231 increase year-on-year for the facility.

• Tourism Administration: international traveller arrivals up 109.6% in Q1

The Queen Tamar Airport in the highland Mestia in northwestern Svaneti region served 2,494 passengers in the first three months of the year - a 77 percent increase y/y.

In the western Racha region, the Ambrolauri Airport saw 254 individuals pass through it, showing a nine percent decrease year-on-year.

In the first quarter of 2023 Georgian airports served 4,839 flights, including 3,802 regular services. The number of flights marked a 22 percent increase year-on-year, the Agency said.