Passenger traffic at Georgian airports up 33% in January-March
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. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge
Tweet 
Share
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.
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.
The largest number of visitors Georgia hosted last year came from Russia, followed by Turkey and Armenia, the latest inbound tourism statistics published by the National Statistics Office of Georgia on Tuesday show.
The number of arrivals of international travellers in Georgia equalled 1,208,462 in the first quarter of 2023, marking a 109.6 percent increase year-on-year, the Georgian National Tourism Administration said on Thursday.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Wednesday received a letter of gratitude from management of the Messe Berlin fairgrounds in the German capital that hosted this year’s edition of the ITB Berlin tourism fair, with representatives of the venue noting the “outstanding effort” by Georgia in its capacity as the Host Country for the event.
Tourism attractions and potential of Georgia’s Black Sea region of Adjara has been promoted at 16 international tourism exhibitions this year alone, the region's Department of Tourism and Resorts said on Tuesday.
The Georgian Embassy in Turkey is in contact with the Georgian citizens in Sudan and their family members amid the fighting in the country between the army and a paramilitary group, the Georgian foreign office said on Monday.
Twelve tour operators from Poland are visiting Georgia to discuss cooperation and joint tour planning with Georgian counterparts, the Georgian National Tourism Administration announced on Friday.