Deputy Minister of Economy Tamar Ioseliani announced that once the new Vaziani International Airport begins operations, the existing Tbilisi International Airport will cease functioning. She made the statement during a panel discussion on major infrastructure projects at the Tbilisi Silk Road Forum.
“As soon as Vaziani International Airport is put into operation, operations at Tbilisi’s existing international airport will cease accordingly. We have set deadlines for Vaziani International Airport, and 2031 has been decided as the year of full operation,” said Ioseliani.
Plans for the new airport were first unveiled in 2023 under then–Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili, and later reaffirmed by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze following an Economic Council meeting. Kobakhidze stated that while expanding the existing airport could raise passenger capacity to 15 million, the new airport would accommodate up to 19 million passengers.
According to the government’s timeline, Vaziani International Airport is expected to start receiving passengers in 2029, with the first terminal capable of handling 10 million passengers annually. Once fully developed, the airport’s total capacity will reach 20 million passengers per year.
