Sukhum Airport: Dreams and Doubts, by Vitaly Sharia

Ekho Kavkaza ― Active discussions within Abkhaz society, particularly on social media, have been sparked by two news stories in the media concerning the future development of the republic's transportation links and tourism industry.

After the opening of Sukhum Airport named after Vladislav Ardzinba, planes will fly to seven Russian cities, said the President of Abkhazia, Aslan Bzhania, in an interview with RIA Novosti at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2024. According to him, in the first year after the opening, the tourist flow to the republic is expected to increase by at least 50%. Approximately 11% of the air traffic to Sochi consists of people traveling to Abkhazia, Bzhania noted. Given that last year the Sochi airport served 12 million people, the president concluded that Abkhazia could expect to have one million passengers.

The plan is for the revamped air hub to service regular flights to Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Sochi, Krasnodar, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, and Kazan. Currently, work on the reconstruction of the runway and the modernisation of the passenger terminal at the republic's airport is nearing completion. Negotiations are underway with two Russian airlines, which may become the main operators of flights from Abkhazia to Russia. The route network is expected to expand as demand for air travel in the region increases.

Internet comments on the president's statements, which have been widely circulated in various publications, exceeded four hundred, but only a few were purely positive. The overwhelming majority expressed bewilderment about two points:

"If a million air passengers travel to Abkhazia via Sochi Airport, it does not necessarily mean they will all change their route to Sukhum Airport. Most currently vacation in western Abkhazia, which is closer and more convenient from Adler."

Questions also arose regarding air traffic between the Abkhaz capital and neighbouring Sochi:

"What kind of route is Sukhum – Sochi? A flight of a couple of hundred kilometres, but with less time in the air than during takeoff and landing... Not to mention the ticket price."

In response to the questions raised, it was suggested:

"Firstly, these are currently only discussed plans. Secondly, these might be transit flights to some distant Russian city, with mini-planes flying to Sukhum."

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Questions also arose regarding the inclusion of Krasnodar Airport, which was closed following the onset of the war in Ukraine. It is currently undergoing active reconstruction and, according to the media, will be six times larger by 2025. However, predicting whether the airport will be operational in the coming years is difficult, as it will depend on the progression of the war in Ukraine.

Additionally, no North Caucasus airports are on the list. For instance, a flight from Mineralnye Vody would likely attract many tourists to Abkhazia, not to mention the Adyghe-Abkhazian people living in Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia, and the Stavropol Territory.

It is worth noting that at the end of October 2023, the tender for the reconstruction of Sukhum Airport was won by the Russian company "Infrastructure Development," with which a public-private partnership agreement was signed. The Russian investor will reconstruct the runway, which is 3100 metres long and 45 metres wide, the taxiway, and part of the apron. They will also install the necessary equipment at the airfield to accommodate modern Russian and foreign aircraft. In addition to updating the airfield infrastructure, the construction of a new passenger terminal and the renovation of the historic building are planned. The new terminal complex will have a capacity of 1300 passengers per hour. The airport is set to open no later than 31 March 2025. Initially, investments in the project were expected to be 8 billion roubles, but the amount has now increased to 12 billion.

The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Energy and Transport of Abkhazia have already announced the recruitment of staff for the new Vladislav Ardzinba International Airport in Sukhum.

It should be noted that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) does not recognise Sukhum Airport as an international airport. At Georgia's request, ICAO annulled the airport code and removed information about it from its documents in 2006. It is presumed that the airlines flying to Sukhum will not be the same as those flying to Tbilisi today; otherwise, they may face Georgian and Western sanctions.

This article was published by Ekho Kavkaza and is translated from Russian.