Irakli Karkashadze, the Director of the United Airports of Georgia (UAG), said the development of the Queen Tamar Airport in the country’s northwestern Svaneti region was “one of the main priorities” in the body’s 2023 plans.
The organisation cited Karkashadze as saying “a number of innovations” were planned for the airport, located in the mountainous region popular with tourists, this year.
“This 12-year-old airport has been used by more than 60,000 local and international visitors, which clearly shows us its very important function for Svaneti. We are planning to implement large infrastructure projects at Mestia Airport including terminal rehabilitation, a new fire station and renewal of special equipment”, Karkashadze said.
Frequency of Kutaisi-Mestia flights, which connect the hub city of the western Imereti region with the town in Svaneti, will be increased to meet demand from international tourists traveling to the highland location for ski adventures.
The UAG said the share of foreign citizens in the total number of passengers on the Mestia-Kutaisi-Mestia flight stood at 70% last year, with the number measured at 37.5% on the Natakhtari-Mestia-Natakhtari route.
The Queen Tamar Airport, designed by the German architect Jurgen Mayer-Hermann, opened in Mestia in 2010. (Agenda/Business World Magazine)
