The airport in Sukhumi, the capital of Abkhazia, has been reopened to flights from Moscow, according to a report by the TASS news agency. On February 7, a UVT Aero aircraft carrying Abkhazian President Badra Gunba and a group of Abkhazian students landed at the airport. The event was marked with traditional dances performed by young dancers from the Abasa State Choreographic Ensemble.
The Sukhumi airport was built in the 1960s and had previously been served by flights from Moscow and other Soviet cities. However, after the outbreak of the war in the 1990s, the airport ceased operations and by 1993, it was no longer used by passenger aircraft, mainly serving the military. Even during the 2008 conflict, the airport was used by Russian paratroopers and a plane carrying Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov landed there for talks with Abkhazian leaders.
In the summer of 2023, Russia and Abkhazia signed an agreement to rebuild the Sukhumi airport. Russian Economic Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov stated that the new airport would alleviate the extreme overloading of the Sotschi airport and the Adler multilateral road checkpoint, which are currently the main entry points for Russian citizens into Abkhazia.
Abkhazian Economic Minister Kristina Osgan predicted significant economic impacts on the country’s development.
The Russian company Infrastrukturnoje Raswitije has won the tender to renovate the airport, which is expected to have a capacity of 1,300 passengers per hour.
Prior to the reopening, the Russian Transport Ministry announced the resumption of air connections with Abkhazia. Regular flights are set to begin in May, with two more airlines, besides UVT Aero, expressing interest in the route.