Ambrolauri Airport

Ambrolauri Airport (ICAO: UGAM) is a small regional airport serving Ambrolauri, a town in Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, Georgia. The airport is owned and operated by United Airports of Georgia, a state-owned company. It has been open in its current form since January 2017, and can serve airplanes up to 50 passengers capacity.[2]

Ambrolauri Airport

ამბროლაურის აეროპორტი
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerUnited Airports of Georgia LLC
OperatorUnited Airports of Georgia LLC
ServesAmbrolauri, Racha, Georgia
Elevation AMSL1,784 ft / 544 m
Coordinates42°31′34″N 43°08′09″E
Map
Ambrolauri Airport is located in Georgia
Ambrolauri Airport
Ambrolauri Airport
Location of airport in Georgia
Ambrolauri Airport is located in Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti
Ambrolauri Airport
Ambrolauri Airport
Ambrolauri Airport (Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
11/29 1,100 3,800 Concrete
Source:[1]

General

Ambrolauri Airport is located at the edge of Ambrolauri town, in the historic Racha region on the right bank of the Rioni between the Racha and Lechkhumi Ranges and at an elevation of 544 m (1,785 ft) above sea level. The region is of tourist interest and it is the cradle of one of Georgia's pre-eminent wine varieties, the Khvanchkara, named after the village of origin 10 kilometers west of Ambrolauri. Since 2017, Vanilla Sky Airlines flies several times a week between Ambrolauri and Natakhtari Airfield near Tbilisi with a 19-seater Let L-410. After a six-month hiatus in 2020 due to the corona pandemic, flights to Ambrolaoeri resumed in the summer of 2020,[3] and by 2021 passenger traffic recovered to pre-covid numbers.

History
Ambrolauri Airport terminal

Then-President Mikheil Saakashvili named Ambrolauri in 2010 as one of the new regional airports to be developed to stimulate tourism.[4] Finally, in 2015, the Georgian Aviation Authority identified four old airports suitable to revive, including Ambrolauri.[5] This was the first of the four to be developed, and by 2022 it also turned out to be the only one. In 2016 the airport got a new 1,100 m (3,600 ft) paved concrete runway and a terminal with an area of 600m² and space for approximately 50 passengers was built. The airport opened in January 2017.[2] The terminal was designed and constructed in such a way it can easily be expanded if future demand deems that necessary. That moment hasn't arrived yet by 2022.

Airlines and destinations
AirlinesDestinations
Vanilla Sky Airlines Natakhtari[3][6]

Statistics
Annual passenger statistics Ambrolauri Airport[7]
YearPassengersChange
Annual passenger traffic at UGAM airport. See Wikidata query.
2022 2,657[8] Increase00032.9%
2021 2,000 Increase00064.7%
2020 1,214 Decrease00038.3%
2019
1,966
 Increase024.27%
2018
1,582
 Decrease08.18%
2017
1,723
 Steady

See also

References
  1. პრემიერ-მინისტრის პრესსამსახური (14 January 2017). "პრემიერ-მინისტრმა ამბროლაურის აეროპორტი გახსნა". საქართველოს მთავრობა. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  2. "Georgia welcomes airport in western Racha region". Agenda.ge. 2017-01-14. Retrieved 2022-02-09.
  3. "Domestic flights resume in Georgia starting tomorrow". Agenda.ge. 2020-07-23. Retrieved 2022-02-09.
  4. "Mikheil Saakashvili got interested in the development of regional infrastructure and tourism". President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili Archive. 2010-08-30. Retrieved 2022-02-09.
  5. "Georgia renews four old airfields to develop rural aviation". Agenda.ge. 2015-10-06. Retrieved 2022-02-09.
  6. "Flights to Mestia, Ambrolauri, and Batumi - Schedule and Prices". Mountain Stories. 2022-01-13. Retrieved 2022-02-09.
  7. "Number of Passengers Served". gcaa.ge. Civil Aviation Agency of Georgia. Retrieved 2022-02-09.
  8. "According to total data for 2022, the number of flights recovered to the level of 88% from pre-Covid levels, whereas passenger count - to the level of 85% (in Georgian)". Georgian Civil Aviation Authority. January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
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