Tbilisi International Airport

Shota Rustaveli Tbilisi International Airport თბილისის შოთა რუსთაველის სახელობის საერთაშორისო აეროპორტი
IATA: TBS ICAO: UGTB
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	United Airports of Georgia LLC
Operator	TAV Airports Holding
Serves	Tbilisi
Location	Tbilisi, Georgia
Hub for	Georgian Airways
Elevation AMSL	1,624 ft / 495 m
Coordinates	41°40′09″N 044°57′17″E / 41.66917°N 44.95472°E / 41.66917; 44.95472Coordinates: 41°40′09″N 044°57′17″E / 41.66917°N 44.95472°E / 41.66917; 44.95472
Website	tbilisiairport.com
Map
TBS Location within Georgia
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 13R/31L 3,000 9,843 Concrete
Helipads
Number Length Surface m ft H1 30 98 Asphalt/Concrete
Source: Georgian AIP at EUROCONTROL

Shota Rustaveli Tbilisi International Airport (Georgian: თბილისის შოთა რუსთაველის სახელობის საერთაშორისო აეროპორტი) (IATA: TBS, ICAO: UGTB) formerly Novo Alexeyevka International Airport, is the main international airport in Georgia, located 17 km (11 mi) southeast of the capital Tbilisi.

February 2007 saw the completion of a reconstruction project, with the construction of a new international terminal, a car park, improvements to the apron, taxiway and runway and the acquisition of ground handling equipment. A rail link to the city centre has been constructed, with an infrequent rail service of 6 trains per day each way. George W. Bush Avenue leads from the airport to downtown Tbilisi.

The airport has a contemporary and functional design. It is designed to provide the optimum flow of both passengers and luggage from the parking lot to the planes, with a 25,000 square meter total usable area. There is scope for future expansions without interrupting terminal operations. It has high-tech contemporary systems, keeping passenger convenience and efficiency of the terminal operations in mind, throughout functional spaces organized in an elegant manner. The food and beverage operations are carried out by BTA at 7 points with a staff of 75, while ATU provides Duty Free services at its four stores. The total project cost was 90.5 million USD. The capacity of the new terminal building is 2.8 million passengers per year.

The implementing agency and the borrower for the project is TAV Urban Georgia, a concessionaire and special purpose vehicle for the construction and operation of the airport.

The first airport terminal building was constructed in 1952. Designed by the architect V. Beridze in the style of Stalinist architecture the building featured a floor plan with symmetric axes and a monumental risalit in the form of a portico. The two side wings featured blind arcades in giant order. A new terminal building was finished in 1990, designed in the International style. In 1981 Tbilisi airport was the 12th largest airport in the Soviet Union, with 1,478,000 passengers on so-called central lines, that is on flights connecting Tbilisi with cities in other Soviet republics. In 1998 the number of passengers had shrunk to 230,000 per year.