PLANS have been revealed for a huge new international airport in Eastern Europe.
A brand-new international airport could be built in Tbilisi (the capital city of Georgia), according to the country’s prime minister.
4
On Monday, the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced plans to build a brand-new airport during a Government meeting.
Not only will the new airport increase passenger flow, but it’s also expected to boost the country’s economy by $129.65million over the next few years.
Despite already having an airport, the cost of expanding Tbilisi International Airport outweighs the benefits of building a new one.
According to local media, Prime Minister Kobakhidze said: “The cost of expanding the current airport would be about $900million while constructing a new airport would cost $1.26billion (£993million).
“The expansion would allow us to increase the passenger flow to a maximum of 15million, but there would be no further development prospects.
“On the other hand, constructing a new airport would increase the number of passengers to 19million with the potential for further expansion.”
Design and tender procedures are set to be completed next year, with a former airfield in Vaziani, which is near the Georgian capital, slated as the base for the airport.
Tbilisi International Airport currently serves around 4.5million passengers per year, including Brit holidaymakers.
Until earlier this year, a direct route hadn’t flown between the UK and Georgia since 2020, when Air Georgian scrapped its flights.
New routes from London, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh started operating to Tbilisi earlier this year thanks to Holiday Best – the UK’s newest holiday package operator.
Air Iveria also plans to launch a new route between London Gatwick and Tbilisi.
What is there to do in Tbilisi?
Located between Europe and Asia, Georgia has a diverse cuisine that combines flavours from both continents.
The old town is full of historic architecture, with a wide range of restaurants serving the best of Georgian cuisine, including Khinkali – Georgia’s answer to dumplings.
Lamb stews and kebabs are also popular, while Khachapuri is a Georgian cheese bread that’s sometimes topped with a fried egg.
Tbilisi is a diverse city with a hybrid of influences melding to create a location that offers a truly unique city break experience.
Sites like the Narikala Fortress and the Holy Trinity Cathedral are more than worth pausing for a photograph, while the old town shows what historic Tbilisi would’ve been like.
Meanwhile, places like the Tbilisi Balneological Resort are famous for having warm year-round outdoor bathing.
Elsewhere, the outskirts are surrounded by the remote mountains of Svaneti, which Holiday Best claim to “rival the Alps in their beauty and hiking opportunities”.
Georgia isn’t the only country set to get a new airport, with others cropping up across Europe.
Warsaw Solidarity Airport, Poland
Poland’s new mega travel hub is expected to rival the likes of Heathrow and Dubai thanks to its proposed long-haul flights.
The new airport aims to enable passengers from Central and Eastern European countries to fly almost anywhere in the world – without having to travel to hubs in Western Europe first.
Plans are well underway to build Warsaw Solidarity Airport because Warsaw Chopin Airport (the city’s main airport) is nearing capacity.
While Poland plans to build on its overall passenger growth, the new centre will also help the country’s flag carrier (LOT Polish Airlines) to increase its passenger numbers too.
Salerno Airport, Italy
Pontecagnano (Salerno) Airport is currently undergoing a huge £400million renovation.
A longer runway will be built as part of the expansion, as well as five new boarding gates.
More than €250million (£214million) has been spent on the development of the commercial structures inside the airport.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
The incredible designs behind the world’s biggest airport
Earlier this year, plans behind the world’s biggest airport were revealed – with flights set to take off by 2030.
King Salman International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, will have a massive six runways and is expected to see 120million passengers each year.
The huge new travel hub will be spread across 57 square kilometres (22 square miles), with 12 square kilometres dedicated to recreational facilities and a retail space.
You an read more about the huge new airport, here.
Other developments are also underway in the local area, including a new metro, with five new stops, which will flank the Salerno Battipaglia railway line.
EasyJet will become the first-ever UK airline to operate flights between London and Salerno.
4
4