Rize–Artvin Airport

It opened for commercial business on 14 May 2022, with Turkish Airlines, soon followed on the same day with AnadoluJet. On 3 July 2022, Pegasus Airlines also began operating to the airport. On 1 July 2023, SalamAir started seasonal operations to Muscat in Oman internationally, making this the airport's first international route.

The airport is situated off the coast of Yeşilköy village in Pazar district of Rize Province.[1][2] It is 34 km (21 mi) east of Rize and about 75 km (47 mi) west of Artvin.[3] It was constructed on ground obtained through filling a part of the Black Sea shore by rocks brought from nearby quarries in Merdivenli, Hisarlı, Kanlımezra and Kuzeyce. To fill the up to 30 m (98 ft)-deep sea,[3] at least 85 million tons of rock is required.[1][2][4] The airport building covers an area of 4,500 m² (48,000 sq ft), and the runway is 3,000 m (9,800 ft) long at 45 m (148 ft) width parallel to seashore.[2][5] The construction works began with groundbreaking in 2017. It is the country's second airport of its sort following Ordu–Giresun Airport.[2][3][5][6] It is expected that the airport will serve about two million passengers annually. The construction cost was budgeted to ₺750 million (approx. US$206 million).[5]

The airport is close to towns and cities like Yeşilköy, Sivrikale, Kocaköprü, Sulak, Hisarlı, Subaşı, Darılı, Aktaş, Akmescit, Balıkçı, Aktepe, Alçılı, Merdivenli, Güney, Kesikköprü, Örnek, Kuzayca, Tütüncüler, Yemişli, Hasköy, Topluca, Tektaş, Sahilköy, Şendere, Kemerköy, Elmalık, Papatya, Boğazlı, Sessizdere, Derebaşı, Yücehisar, Irmakköy, Kestanelik, Hamidiye, Çınartepe, Zafer, Dernek, Sivritepe, Suçatı, Ortaırmak, Kaçkar, Derinsu, Erenler, Şentepe, Sefalı, Yavuzlar, Çilingir, Irmakyeniköy, Ortayol, Başköy, Düzgeçit, Aşıklar, Beyazkaya, Leventköy, Handağı, Abdullahhoca, Yeşilırmak, Yaltkaya, Şehitlik, Yamaçdere, Uğrak, Selimiye, Akbucak, Zeytinlik, Esendağ, Çıraklar, Erdemli, Yamaçköy, Pirinçlik, Latifli, Kayağantaş, Sarısu, Yavuz, Yanıkdağ, and Köprübaşı villages; Madenli town; Pazar, Ardeşen, Çayeli, Hemşin, and Çamlıhemşin district centers.[10]

The routes from the airport to nearby cities are these:

To Artvin (Based on the Artvin Çoruh University.)[11][12]

• (111 km., 107 min.) D010 (Pazar direction) - Pazar - D010 (Ardeşen direction) - Ardeşen - D010 (Fındıklı direction) - Fındıklı - D010 (Arhavi direction) - Arhavi - D010 (Hopa direction) - Hopa - D010 (Borçka direction) - Borçka - D010 (Şavşat direction) - 08-06 (university direction)

To Rize (Based on the Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University.)[11][12][13]

• (34 km., 39 min.) D010 (Çayeli direction) - Çayeli - D010 (Rize direction) - Menderes Boulevard By-street