Kutaisi International Airport
David the Builder Kutaisi International Airport დავით აღმაშენებლის სახელობის ქუთაისის საერთაშორისო აეროპორტის | |||||||||||
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| File:Kutaisi airport 01.JPG | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Serves | Kutaisi, Georgia | ||||||||||
| Hub for | Georgian Airways | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 223 ft / 68 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 42°10′35″N 042°28′57″E / 42.17639°N 42.48250°E | ||||||||||
| Website | kutaisiairport.ge/ | ||||||||||
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Kutaisi Airport (IATA: KUT, ICAO: UGKO) also known as David the Builder Kutaisi International Airport[3] is an airport located 14 km (8.7 mi) west of Kutaisi, the second largest city in Georgia and capital of the western region of Imereti. It is one of three international airports currently in operation in Georgia, along with Tbilisi International Airport serving the Georgian capital and Batumi International Airport near the Adjara Black Sea resort. The airport is operated by United Airports of Georgia, a state-owned company.[4]
History
The airport was closed for renovation in November 2011. Its reopening ceremony was held on 27 September 2012. It was attended by President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili, Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán[5] and Wizz Air CEO József Váradi.[6]
For preparation works for the commissioning of the airport and training of staff, the French company Vinci Airports was contracted.[7] Some construction work around the airport continues. There is one duty-free shop and two coffee shops operating at the airport. The airport is currently connected to scheduled public transportation to Kutaisi, Tbilisi and Batumi after each arrival.[8] The airport terminal is located next to the main road between Kutaisi and Batumi, so it is possible to transfer to those cities also by marshrutkas[9]
The priority of the Kutaisi airport is to attract low tariff airlines and create a special environment between airlines and airports. It will be equipped with the highest quality navigation and weather systems.[3] A significant growth in the number of passenger has been noted soon after the reopening of the airport in 2012, mainly due to Wizz Air operations linking Kutaisi with Polish and Ukrainian airports. For 2013 the operator reported 187,939 passengers.[10]
Airlines and destinations
Statistics
| Year | Total passengers | Change from previous year |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | ||
| 2011 |  40.3%
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| 2012 |  185.7%
| |
| 2013 | 1,353.3%
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| 2014 | 16.0%
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See also
References
- ^ Airport information for UGKO from DAFIF (effective October 2006)
- ^ Airport information for KUT at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
- ^ a b "The President of Georgia opened the runway at the David the Builder Kutaisi International Airport". Releases. The Administration of the President of Georgia. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
- ^ United Airports of Georgia company website: http://airports.ge/
- ^ N., Kirtskhalia (27 September 2012). "Georgia's president, Hungarian PM to open new airport in Kutaisi". Trend News Agency. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
- ^ "Wizz Air запустил авиарейсы из Киева в Кутаиси". Interfax-Ukraine. 27 September 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
- ^ Vinci Airports company website (retrieved 1 September 2013)
- ^ http://www.georgianbus.com/
- ^ Jennings, Michael. "Kutaisi Public Transport Information". Retrieved 18 September 2013.
- ^ a b "Flight Schedule and Statistics - Kutaisi David the Builder International Airport". gcaa.ge/. Civil Aviation Agency of Georgia. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
- ^ "Pegasus Airlines launches new Kutaisi- Istanbul flights for €29.99". Agenda.ge. 9 April 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
- ^ "S7 Flight Schedule". s7.ru. S7 Airlines. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
- ^ "МАУ возобновит закрытые Wizz Air рейсы Киев-Кутаиси". avianews.com by Aviation Today. 4 June 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
