Tbilisi International Airport welcomed its five millionth passenger, an unprecedented event in the airport’s history and a significant moment in the broader story of Georgian civil aviation.

According to TAV Georgia, the honoured five millionth traveller was French citizen Pierre Berret, who departed from Tbilisi to Paris.

To mark this symbolic occasion, TAV Georgia, the management company of both Tbilisi and Batumi airports, organised a special ceremony to award the milestone passenger.

This year, both Tbilisi and Batumi international airports are experiencing record-breaking passenger numbers. TAV Georgia reports that in 2025, the combined passenger traffic is projected to reach 6.6 million. In the first eleven months alone, Tbilisi saw a 13% increase in passenger numbers compared to the same period last year, while Batumi experienced an impressive 30% rise. Together, the two airports served over 6,147,000 passengers during this period.

The peak for Tbilisi International Airport was on August 12, when it handled a total of 97 flights and welcomed 21,959 passengers. Batumi’s record was on August 24, with 35 flights and 8,446 passengers.

“Today is December 5, and we have celebrated welcoming our five millionth passenger this year,” said Tea Zakaradze, General Manager of TAV Georgia.

“On October 9, we marked a historic milestone in Batumi, where for the first time in its history, the airport recorded over one million passengers in a single year. This marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for our company. Especially considering that this year, TAV Georgia celebrated 20 years of operations in the country.

To put this in perspective, exactly 20 years ago, when TAV Airports first began operating in Georgia, the annual passenger count at Tbilisi International Airport was just 540,000. I would like to highlight an important achievement: over these 20 years, our company has served more than 50 million passengers across Tbilisi and Batumi. Today, the main international gateway of Georgia has enormous potential. We see passenger traffic increasing year on year, and our company is ready to invest further in the development of the airports under our management,” she added.