Airline passenger traffic in Georgia reaches pre-pandemic numbers with 45% y/y increase
Georgia’s three international airports served 2,485,263 passengers between January-June. Photo: Geostat
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Georgia’s three international airports served 2,485,263 passengers between January-June, marking a 45 percent year-on-year increase, the Georgian Civil Aviation Agency said on Wednesday.
Deputy Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili said the figures meant passenger traffic at Georgian airports had reached pre-pandemic numbers.
We have been able to fully restore passenger flow at Georgian airports to pre-pandemic 2019 [levels] [...] The current situation in terms of growth and improvement of passenger flows at both international and domestic airports [...] contributes to further strengthening of the airline industry in the country, as well as the tourism sector", Kvrivishvili said.
In the reporting period, Georgia’s international airports served the following numbers:
- Tbilisi International Airport - 1,566,251 passengers (+35% y/y)
- Kutaisi International Airport - 667,305 passengers (+103%)
- Batumi International Airport - 236,444 passengers (+9%)
Passenger traffic has been restored with the following percentages compared to the first six months of 2019:
- Tbilisi International Airport - 84%
- Kutaisi International Airport - 83%
- Batumi International Airport - 96%
Statistics also showed all three international airports in the country received 8,556 flights over the six months. The Agency said the number of flights had increased by 29 percent year-on-year and recovered by 90 percent from the pre-pandemic figure.
Local airports also saw an increase in passenger numbers in the six-month period, the body said.
Queen Tamar Airport in Mestia in the north-western Svaneti region served 5,127 passengers in the period - a 60 percent increase year-on-year and a 47 percent recovery from the pre-pandemic figure.
Ambrolauri Airport in western Georgia’s Racha region served 841 passengers, five percent less compared to the same period of 2022 but a 40 percent increase compared to 2019.
Central Georgia’s Natakhtari Airport served 9,295 passengers, posting an 86 percent year-on-year increase and a 170 percent increase from the pre-pandemic figure.
There were 48 airline companies operating in Georgian airports as of July 1, with flights offered to 88 destinations.
Georgian Wings will launch direct domestic flights between Tbilisi International Airport in the Georgian capital and the Black Sea resort city of Batumi later this month.
Galt & Taggart, a Georgian-based company for investment banking and management services, has forecast the country’s annual tourism revenues to reach the range of $4 billion, the company’s economist Lasha Kavtaradze said on Saturday.
Maia Omiadze, the Head of the Georgian National Tourism Administration, on Monday highlighted the dynamics of the tourism industry’s recovery from the pandemic period, as well as planned and implemented projects in Georgia, at a meeting of the tourism working group of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation.
Georgia’s revenue from tourism exceeded $795 million in the first quarter of 2023, marking a 102 percent increase year-on-year and a 37.5 percent increase compared to the same period of pre-pandemic 2019, the Georgian National Tourism Administration said on Friday.
Ongoing and future economic projects, wheat import, economic growth indicators and development of the digital economy in the country were discussed in a meeting of the Government’s Economic Council led by Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, the Government Administration said on Thursday.
Maia Omiadze, the Head of the Georgian National Tourism Administration, on Monday said the flow of tourist visits in the country had increased by 90 percent compared to the pre-pandemic year of 2019.
Georgian Deputy Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili on Monday said more than 50 airline companies operating on the Georgian airline market with around 60 direct flights contributed to the increase of international visitors to Georgia up to 2.8 million.
Georgian recipients received ₾930.6 million ($355.5 mln) in remittances from abroad in June, marking a 16.8% decrease year-on-year, the latest data from the National Bank of Georgia shows.
Georgian Wings on Tuesday launched direct flights between Tbilisi International Airport in the Georgian capital and the Black Sea city of Batumi, marking the airline’s first demonstration flight and project presentation.
Potential for future cooperation between the Georgian Government and ATR, a major international aircraft manufacturer, was discussed in a meeting between the country’s Deputy Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili and Jerome Gabory, the Vice President of the company.