Lasha Berekashvili, founder of Travel to Georgia, warns that Kutaisi International Airport could lose up to 1 million passengers annually if the EU suspends Georgia’s visa-free regime.
Citing official data from the Association of Georgian Airports, Berekashvili notes that before visa liberalization in 2017, the airport handled around 400,000 passengers per year. By 2024, this number had surged to 1.7 million.
“If visa-free travel is canceled, we could see an immediate 76–80% drop in passenger numbers. That would severely impact tourism, local jobs, airlines, and the regional economy,” he said.
In 2024, Kutaisi Airport ranked among the top five medium-sized airports in Europe for post-pandemic recovery, with a 97% increase in passenger traffic and 76% rise in flights compared to 2019.
Berekashvili warned that without visa-free access, the airport could become unsustainable to operate in the long term.
