Month: December 2025

The implementation of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project is entering the final stage, according to reports from Georgia. Work is currently underway to commission the project.

The Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway project is nearing completion, Georgian media report, citing Lasha Abashidze, CEO of Georgian Railways JSC.

Abashidze said the company is now preparing the documents required to launch operations.

He stressed the importance of the project for Georgia. The railway directly links the country with Turkey and creates new opportunities to attract additional cargo flows.

Abashidze also noted that container traffic from China along this route has already grown by 40–50%. He expects this upward trend to continue in the coming years.

The Georgian authorities view the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars project as a strategic priority. They expect the railway to reach its planned cargo capacity and generate stable transit revenues for the state budget.

Despite the long construction period, Georgia’s position on the project has remained unchanged, said Archil Sikhuralidze, founder of the SIKHA Foundation research institute. According to him, Tbilisi sees the railway as a key tool for integrating the country into regional and interregional transit networks. He added that Georgia continues to play an important transit role in the South Caucasus due to its geography and political position.

The 5 millionth passenger was Pierre Berre, a French citizen who flew from Tbilisi to Paris.

Tbilisi International Airport named after Shota Rustaveli has surpassed the milestone of five million passengers since the beginning of the year — a record for both the airport and Georgian civil aviation. The achievement came in an announcement from TAV Georgia, the operator of the international airports in Tbilisi and Batumi.

TAV Georgia identified the five-millionth passenger as Pierre Berre, a French citizen departing on a flight from Tbilisi to Paris. The company also organized a symbolic ceremony at the airport to mark the occasion.

“Today is December 5, and we have served our five millionth passenger of the year. On October 9, Batumi Airport also achieved a historic milestone by reaching one million annual passengers for the first time. These results mark the beginning of an important new stage for our company,”

said Teya Zakaradze, General Manager of TAV Georgia.

She noted that in 2025 the company will celebrate 20 years of operations in Georgia. When TAV Airports entered the market in 2005, Tbilisi International Airport handled just 540,000 passengers per year.

“Over the past two decades, we have served more than 50 million passengers across Tbilisi and Batumi. Today, the country’s main international airport has significantly greater potential, and we continue to see year-on-year passenger growth,”

Zakaradze said. She added that the company is prepared to invest further in the development of both airports.

According to TAV Georgia, Tbilisi and Batumi airports are experiencing record-high passenger traffic in 2025. The company expects to close the year with a combined total of 6.6 million passengers. In the first 11 months of 2025, traffic increased by 13% in Tbilisi and by 30% in Batumi compared to the same period of 2024, with more than 6.1 million passengers served.

This year has also seen record daily figures: on August 12, Tbilisi International Airport handled 97 flights and 21,959 passengers, while Batumi Airport reached its peak on August 24, serving 35 flights and 8,446 passengers.

TAV Georgia began operating in the country in 2005 and has since built and expanded Georgia’s two major international airports. Today, the company employs over 1,900 people, and its investments in the aviation sector exceed $230 million.