The Union of Airports and ADB to Finance Development of Vaziani Airport Master Plan with $736,000 Budget

The preparation of the Vaziani airport master plan will be financed by the Union of Georgian Airports and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), with a budget of $736,000. This announcement was made by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze in his annual report, which he presented to Parliament. The Prime Minister will appear at the plenary session on June 28.

ADB recommended the feasibility of building a new airport in Georgia. According to Giorgi Kiziria, a representative of the Asian Development Bank, studies are ongoing, and the master plan for the new airport will be ready by 2024.

In the Prime Minister's report, it is noted that in October 2023, to meet the growing demand for air transportation to and from Georgia, the Georgian government decided to significantly improve the air transportation capacity of the country's capital, Tbilisi. Consequently, the development of a new international airport in Vaziani (23 km from Tbilisi) was planned to meet the demand for the next 30 years. According to the plan, the new airport will be able to accommodate more than 18 million passengers after the completion of both construction phases.

"At this stage, a draft decree has been prepared for the memorandum to be signed with the Union of Airports LLC and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). According to this decree, ADB, with co-financing from the Union of Georgian Airports LLC, will provide the procurement of services for the general development plan (master plan) for the new Tbilisi airport. The direct budget for the master plan amounts to $736,000, with ADB and the Union of Airports of Georgia contributing equally. It is planned to announce the tender in the near future, and the development plan is expected to take 6-8 months to complete," stated Irakli Kobakhidze in his annual report.