David the Builder Kutaisi International Airport

David the Builder Kutaisi International Airport
ქუთაისის საერთაშორისო აეროპორტი

IATA: KUT – ICAO: UGKO

KUT
Location of airport in Georgia

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/
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
08/26 2,600 8,202 Concrete
Source: DAFIF[1][2]

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]

Renovation

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]

Some construction work around the airport continues. There are 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.[7] 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[8]

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]

For preparation works for the commissioning of the airport and training of staff, the French company Vinci Airports was contracted.[9] For 2013 the operator reported 187,939 passengers.[10]

Airlines and destinations

Airlines Destinations
Belavia Minsk-National
Georgian Airways Moscow-Vnukovo, Tbilisi
Iraqi Airways Baghdad
Pegasus Airlines Istanbul-Sabiha Gökçen (begins 19 May 2015)[11]
S7 AirlinesSeasonal: Moscow-Domodedovo[12]
Ural Airlines Moscow-Domodedovo
Wizz Air Budapest, Vilnius, Warsaw-Chopin
Seasonal: Katowice

Statistics

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.

Passenger statistics for Kutaisi International Airport[10]
Year Total passengers Change from previous year
2010
7,446
2011
4,527
Decrease 40.3%
2012
12,932
Increase 185.7%
2013
187,939
Increase 1353.3%
2014
218,003
Increase 16.0%

See also

References

  1. ↑ Airport information for UGKO from DAFIF (effective October 2006)
  2. ↑ Airport information for KUT at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective Oct. 2006).
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "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.
  4. ↑ United Airports of Georgia company website: http://airports.ge/
  5. ↑ N., Kirtskhalia (27 September 2012). "Georgia's president, Hungarian PM to open new airport in Kutaisi". Trend News Agency. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
  6. ↑ "Wizz Air запустил авиарейсы из Киева в Кутаиси". Interfax-Ukraine. 27 September 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
  7. ↑ http://www.georgianbus.com/
  8. ↑ Jennings, Michael. "Kutaisi Public Transport Information". Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  9. ↑ Vinci Airports company website (retrieved September 1, 2013)
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Flight Schedule and Statistics - Kutaisi David the Builder International Airport". gcaa.ge/. Civil Aviation Agency of Georgia. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  11. ↑ "Pegasus Airlines launches new Kutaisi- Istanbul flights for €29.99". Agenda.ge. 9 April 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
  12. ↑ "S7 Flight Schedule". s7.ru. S7 Airlines. Retrieved 26 September 2014.

External links