David the Builder Kutaisi International Airport

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 / 42.17639; 42.48250
Website kutaisiairport.ge/
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
08/26 2,600 8,202 Concrete
Source: DAFIF[1][2]

Kutaisi International 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 marshrutka.[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]

In February 2016 Wizz Air announce new base at David the Builder Kutaisi International Airport. On February 19, Wizz Air director general József Váradi will visit Kutaisi and present detailed information about the new base and future operations of the airline.[11]

Airlines and destinations

AirlinesDestinations
Belavia Seasonal: Minsk-National
Georgian Airways Moscow-Vnukovo, Tbilisi
Pegasus Airlines Istanbul-Sabiha Gökçen[12]
Ukraine International AirlinesKharkiv,[13] Kiev-Boryspil[14]
Ural Airlines Moscow-Domodedovo
Wizz Air Budapest, Vilnius, Warsaw-Chopin
Seasonal: Katowice

Statistics

Annual passenger statistics[10]
Year Total passengers Change from previous year
2010
7,446
2011
4,527
Decrease40.3%
2012
12,932
Increase185.7%
2013
187,939
Increase1,353.3%
2014
218,003
Increase16.0%
2015
182,954
Decrease16.1%

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 October 2006).
  3. 1 2 "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. ↑ Vinci Airports company website (retrieved 1 September 2013)
  8. ↑ http://www.georgianbus.com/
  9. ↑ Jennings, Michael. "Kutaisi Public Transport Information". Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  10. 1 2 "Flight Schedule and Statistics - Kutaisi David the Builder International Airport". gcaa.ge/. Civil Aviation Agency of Georgia. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  11. ↑ "Wizz Air opens base at Kutaisi International Airport". Agenda.ge. 4 February 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  12. ↑ "Pegasus Airlines launches new Kutaisi- Istanbul flights for €29.99". Agenda.ge. 9 April 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
  13. ↑ "МАУ возобновит рейсы из Харькова в Грузию". "Бизнес Грузия". 7 October 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  14. ↑ "МАУ возобновит закрытые Wizz Air рейсы Киев-Кутаиси". avianews.com by Aviation Today. 4 June 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2015.

External links

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