David the Builder Kutaisi International Airport

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 third 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]

Kutaisi International Airport

ქუთაისის საერთაშორისო აეროპორტი
Summary
Airport typePublic
Operator“United Airports of Georgia” LLC
ServesKutaisi, Georgia
Focus city for
Elevation AMSL223 ft / 68 m
Coordinates42°10′35″N 042°28′57″E
Websitekutaisi.aero
Map
KUT
Location of airport in Georgia
KUT
KUT (Imereti)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
07/25 2,500 8,202 Asphalt
Statistics (2019)
Passengers873,616
Passenger change 18–1941.51%
Source: DAFIF[1][2]

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] There is one duty-free shop and two coffee shops operating at the airport. The airport is currently connected to scheduled marshrutkas operated by Georgian Bus, with services 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 Kutaisi airport is to attract low-cost airlines. 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 European airports. For 2013, the operator reported 187,939 passengers.[10] In February 2016, Wizz Air announced a new base at Kutaisi Airport and is planning to add a second base in 2018.

Currently, major expansion works of the airport are underway[11] as the airport is expecting 1 million passengers in 2020. Also, a railway station is being built in the vicinity of the airport which will connect the airport to Tbilisi, Batumi and any other cities of Georgia served by Georgian Railways.[11]

Airlines and destinations
AirlinesDestinations
flydubai Seasonal: Dubai–International
Ryanair Bologna, Marseille
Vanilla Sky Airlines Mestia, Natakhtari
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi (begins 1 October 2020),[12]Athens, Berlin–Schönefeld, Bologna, Budapest, Dortmund, Gdańsk, Katowice, Kraków, Larnaca, Memmingen, Milan–Malpensa, Poznań, Prague, Riga, Rome–Fiumicino, Tallinn, Thessaloniki, Vienna, Vilnius, Warsaw–Chopin, Wrocław

Statistics
Annual passenger statistics[10]
YearTotal passengersChange from previous year
2019
873,616
0041.5%
2018
617,373
0052.4%
2017
405,173
0049.3%
2016
271,363
0048.3%
2015
182,954
0016.1%
2014
218,003
0016.0%
2013
187,939
1,353.3%
2012
012,932
0185.7%
2011
004,527
0040.3%
2010
007,446

Annual passenger
Update: March 2020

Routes
Top 5 scheduled destinations (2019)[13]
Rank Airport Passengers Carriers
1 Warsaw Chopin Airport 54,722 Wizz Air
2 Vienna International Airport 52,319 Wizz Air
3 Berlin Schönefeld Airport 50,804 Wizz Air
4 Dortmund Airport 42,339 Wizz Air
5 Katowice Airport 42,081 Wizz Air

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. "The President of Georgia opened the runway at the David the Builder Kutaisi International Airport". Releases. The Administration of the President of Georgia. Archived from the original on 19 September 2012. 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. Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
  7. Vinci Airports company website (retrieved 1 September 2013)
  8. "Georgian Bus". georgianbus.com. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  9. Jennings, Michael. "Kutaisi Public Transport Information". Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  10. "Flight Schedule and Statistics – Kutaisi David the Builder International Airport". gcaa.ge/. Civil Aviation Agency of Georgia. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  11. "Construction of New Terminal at Kutaisi International Airport to Start in August". Georgia Today on the Web. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  12. Liu, Jim (12 July 2020). "Wizz Air Abu Dhabi schedules October 2020 launch". Routesonline.
  13. "2019 წელს, ქუთაისის საერთაშორისო აეროპორტიდან ყველაზე პოპულარული მიმართულება ვარშავა იყო" (in Georgian). www.Avianews.ge. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
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