Passenger traffic at Georgian airports decreases by 7.3% in July

In July 2019 all five Georgian airports -Tbilisi, Batumi, Kutaisi, Mestia, Ambrolauri- served 571, 848 passengers which is 44,959 passengers compared to July 2018 (616,807 passengers).

The United Airports of Georgia of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development says a 7.3-percent drop in passenger traffic was triggered by the suspension of direct flights to Russia from July 8, 2019.

According to the official data, in July 2019 Tbilisi International Airport served 384,632 passengers, which is about 10 percent less (44,494 passengers) compared to the same period of the previous year. In July 2018, Tbilisi Airport served 429,126 passengers.

The number of passengers also decreased at Batumi International Airport. In July 2019, 100,432 passengers were served by Batumi Airport which is 10,893 passengers less than in the same period of the previous year. In July 2018, Batumi Airport served 111,325 passengers.

Unlike Tbilisi and Batumi, Kutaisi International Airport saw a 14 percent increase in passenger traffic. In July 2019, 85,738 passengers were served at the airport. In July 2018 the airport served 75,372 passengers.

According to the Kutaisi Airports Association, the Russian ban on flights has not yet much affected the passenger traffic as it has been only two weeks since the sanctions were activated.

As for Mestia and Ambrolauri airports, they served a total of 1,046 passengers in July 2019. In 2018, both airports served 984 passengers. Mestia Airport served 819 passengers in July 2019, up by 75 passengers compared to the same period last year (744 passengers), while Ambrolauri Airport served 227 passengers in the reporting period, 13 passengers less compared to the same period in 2018 (240 passengers).

In two quarters of 2019, Georgia’s airports served 2,489, 823 passengers. Compared to the same period of 2018, passenger traffic increased by 18.24% (384 131 passengers more), and by 54.59% (879 187 passengers more) compared to the first and second quarters of 2017.

Tbilisi International Airport served 1 870 082 passengers in half a year, which is 11.64% (195 024 passengers) more than the number of passengers transferred in the same period of 2018.

In January-June, 247 391 passengers were transported via Batumi International Airport, which is 30.01% (57 112 passengers) more than the number of passengers recorded in the first half of 2018.

According to the data of the first six months of 2019, the passenger traffic in Kutaisi International Airport increased by 55.40%. A total of 364 834 passengers were served, which is 130 060 passengers more compared to the same period of last year.

Mestia served 3 477 passengers within 6 months of the current year, which is 851 passengers more (32.41%) than the number of passengers transferred in the same period of 2018.

Ambrolauri Airport received 599 passengers in January-June of this year, which is 187 passengers (45.38%) more than the number of passengers served in the first half of last year.

Over the last six months of 2019, 1 422 flights more were carried out in Georgian airports than in the first and second quarters of last year. The total number of passenger and freight flights was 12 096, of which regular flights were 10 726, and 1 370 were charter flights. In comparison with the number of flights carried in the same period in 2018, the increase was 13.32%.