Georgia eyes global spotlight with 20M passenger airport, new stadium

Georgian government has unveiled ambitious plans to construct a new international airport in Vaziani, near Tbilisi, alongside a state-of-the-art football and rugby stadium. 

Speaking at a government meeting, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze emphasized the importance of expediting these landmark projects, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

“We have announced the airport project, and it is crucial to work as intensively as possible to complete the first phase quickly and then fully implement the project,” Kobakhidze stated.

The planned international airport, set to replace the expansion of the existing Tbilisi International Airport, is projected to cost approximately $1.3 billion. The facility is expected to be operational by 2029, with a capacity to handle 20 million passengers annually.

In addition to the airport, the government intends to build a stadium capable of hosting 70,000 spectators for football and rugby matches. The new stadium will follow the English model, featuring no running tracks between the stands and the pitch. Kobakhidze expressed confidence in the project’s timeline, aiming for completion before 2028.

“Every day and every week counts,” he said. “Our goal is to finish the stadium in time to host the UEFA Champions League Final in 2028. This is an ambitious objective, and we are determined to achieve it.”

Kobakhidze also highlighted Georgia’s record-breaking tourism revenues in 2024, which exceeded $4.4 billion. This marked a $300 million increase from 2023, when revenues stood at $4.1 billion, up 17.3% from 2022.

“In tourism, we have achieved remarkable results. Despite political tensions last year, including the parliamentary elections in October and subsequent protests, the fourth quarter was also a record period,” the prime minister noted.

The 2024 figures represent a 26.2% increase compared to the previous high in 2019, underscoring the sector’s strong recovery and growth.

By Aghakazim Guliyev