Batumi Airport Welcomes Its One-Millionth Passenger

Photo: 1tv.ge

Batumi International Airport has served its one-millionth passenger in 2025—a historic record for the air hub. TAV Georgia emphasized that this milestone reflects Ajara’s rapid growth in passenger traffic.

The one-millionth traveler was Michaela Natovich, a German national who arrived in Georgia with her children for tourism. According to TAV Georgia, in the first nine months of 2025, Batumi Airport’s passenger flow rose by 32% year-on-year and by 90% versus pre-pandemic levels. The peak month was August, with 213,636 passengers—the highest monthly figure in the terminal’s history. Analysts also highlighted August 24, when the airport handled over 9,000 passengers and 35 flights.



Mariam Kvrivishvili, Georgia’s Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, reported that 840,893 passengers were served in January–August 2025, up 32% from the same period of 2024. The number of flights increased by 45%. The airport currently hosts 22 airlines operating 24 routes, with around 160 weekly flights.

Over the past year, operator TAV Georgia invested 25 million GEL in airport infrastructure. The runway was fully reconstructed along a 1 km section, and apron stands were doubled, enabling simultaneous handling of nine medium-haul aircraft and one helicopter. Plans include expanding passport control, arrivals, and the terminal reception area. TAV Georgia forecasts about 1.2 million passengers by year-end.

Kvrivishvili stressed that Batumi shows the fastest passenger growth among Georgia’s international airports. January–June data confirms this: Batumi grew +35%, outpacing Tbilisi (+11%) and Kutaisi (+12%).



In H1 2025, Georgia’s airports served over 3.6 million travelers (+14%). Total flights in the country also grew 14%. Leading carriers were Wizz Air (642,956 passengers; 18% market share), Pegasus (284,984; 8%), and Georgian Airways (272,568; 8%), followed by Turkish Airlines (268,959; 7%) and Azerbaijan Airlines (222,237; 6%).

New airlines are entering the Georgian market, adding routes that connect the country with the UK, Switzerland, Italy, Serbia, India, and the UAE. Civil aviation’s expansion is closely linked to tourism. Tourism revenues in H1 nearly reached $2 billion—3.8% above January–June 2024 and 35.4% higher than in 2019. More than 2.8 million travelers visited Georgia (+4.6%).

Visitors from Russia led by $308 million in spending and 581,000 trips (average $530 per person). Turkey ranked second with $259 million, 533,000 visits, and $484 per person. Israel placed third with $242 million from 171,000 visits (average $1,412), while Saudi Arabian tourists spent even more per capita—$1,442 (with 26,910 visitors).

Average spends: Europeans $1,371, Ukrainians $1,200, Iranians ≈$1,000, Belarusians $770. The lowest spend came from Armenian visitors: 390,000 people spent $66 million (about $169 per person). This structure underscores the importance of diversifying source markets and promoting Georgia to long-haul audiences. The hotel sector is already adapting, and authorities project over $4.5 billion in tourism revenues by end-2025, alongside further route expansion.