Sukhum International Airport
Vladislav Ardzinba Sukhum International Airport Международный аэропорт Сухум имени В. Г. Ардзинба | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public / Military | ||||||||||
| Serves | Sukhumi | ||||||||||
| Location | Abkhazia / Georgia[1] | ||||||||||
| Time zone | Moscow Time (UTC+3) | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 65 ft / 20 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 42°51′29″N 041°07′41″E / 42.85806°N 41.12806°E | ||||||||||
| Website | https://sukhumaero.com | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
SUI/URAS SUI/URAS SUI/URAS SUI/URAS SUI/URAS | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Source: DAFIF[2][3] | |||||||||||
Vladislav Ardzinba Sukhum International Airport (IATA: SUI, ICAO: URAS),[4][5] formerly known as Sukhumi Babushara and Sukhumi Dranda (IATA: SUI, ICAO: UGSS)[6] is the main airport of Abkhazia. It is located in the village of Babushara next to the larger village of Dranda and some 20 kilometres (12 mi) from Sukhumi, the capital of the unrecognised republic of Abkhazia.
On 1 May 2025, Sukhum airport resumed operations and direct flights with Moscow for the first time since the 1990s and the war in Abkhazia.[7]
History
The airport was built in the mid-1960s, when the region was part of the Soviet Union. In the Soviet era, it was used only for domestic flights, primarily to transport people from across the Soviet Union to the beaches of Abkhazia. The airport was heavily damaged during the civil war in the early 1990s. Land mines and other explosive remnants of war have been cleared from the airport since by the HALO Trust, the only land mine clearance agency active in Abkhazia at the present time.
From 1993 to 2025 the airport was used only for flights to the mountain village of Pskhu and for flights carried out by Russian Air Force.
In 2006, the government of the Republic of Abkhazia expressed its desire to resume international air traffic in the future;[8] however, the facility is not recognized as an international airport by ICAO, and flights can be allowed only with the permission of the Georgian government.[9]
There is another airport in Abkhazia near Gudauta, which serves Russian military troops located there, and an airstrip in Pskhu.
In July 2019, the leadership of Abkhazia issued a decree to open the "Vladislav Ardzinba Sukhum International Airport" for international flights.[10]
In July 2023, the People's Assembly of Abkhazia ratified an agreement that will allow a Russian investor to reconstruct the airport.[11]
On February 7, 2025, UVT Aero operating a test flight from Vnukovo Airport in Moscow and finally landed at the airport,[12]. This led to reopening of scheduled flights, with first commercial flight to Moscow.[13]
Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| I-Fly | Moscow-Sheremetyevo |
| RusLine | Moscow Vnukovo |
Incidents
On August 14, 1982 two airliners collided on a runway at Babushara Airport. The aircraft involved were a Tu-134A (registration number CCCP-65836, factory number 17113, serial number 25-08) and a Let L-410M (registration number CCCP-67191, factory number 781120, serial number 11-20) operated by "Aeroflot" on flights 974 (Sukhumi to Moscow) and G-73 (Sukhumi to Kutaisi). The collision resulted in the deaths of 11 people—all 9 passengers and both pilots on the L-410.[14][15]
See also
References
- ^ The political status of Abkhazia is disputed. Having unilaterally declared independence from Georgia in 1992, Abkhazia is formally recognised as an independent state by 5 UN member states (two other states previously recognised it but then withdrew their recognition), while the remainder of the international community recognizes it as de jure Georgian territory. Georgia continues to claim the area as its own territory, designating it as Russian-occupied territory.
- ^ "Сертификат_соответствия_аэродрома_№1 - Международный аэропорт Сухум" (PDF). sukhumaero.com (in Russian). 3 April 2025.
- ^ Airport information for Sukhumi Dranda Airport (UG29) from DAFIF (effective October 2006)
- ^ "Сертификат САБ № 1 - Международный аэропорт Сухум" (PDF). sukhumaero.com (in Russian). 7 April 2025.
- ^ "Russia Occupied Abkhazia Plans to Open Sokhumi Airport". Civil.ge. 29 July 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
- ^ Accident history for Sukhumi-Babusheri Airport (SUI / UGSS) at Aviation Safety Network
- ^ "Восстановлено авиасообщение между Россией и Абхазией". Радио Свобода (in Russian). 1 May 2025. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
- ^ "Sukhum's Airport May Soon Resume Operation". News release. Administration of the President of the Republic of Abkhazia. 20 December 2006. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007.
- ^ "Georgia's permission necessary to open int'l flights at Sukhum airport – Tbilisi". News release. Interfax news agency. 27 July 2019.
- ^ "Заседание Кабинета Министров под председательством Президента". presidentofabkhazia.org (in Russian). Retrieved 25 August 2019.
- ^ "Abkhazia approves private Russian investor to fund reconstruction of Sukhumi airport". OC Media. 28 July 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- ^ "В аэропорту «Сухум» приземлился первый тестовый рейс из Москвы" (in Russian). Kommersant. 7 February 2025. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
- ^ "Из Москвы в Абхазию вылетел первый рейс после 30-летнего перерыва" (in Russian). Kommersant. 1 May 2025. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
- ^ "Tu-134 c/n 17113". Soviet Transport Database. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
- ^ "L-410M c/n 781120". Soviet Transport Database. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
External links
- "Collision of Tu-134A and L-410M of Georgian UGA at Sukhumi Airport". Airdisaster.ru. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
- "Aircraft accident Let L-410M CCCP-67191 Sukhumi-Babusheri Airport (SUI)". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 7 April 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
- "Aircraft accident Tupolev 134A CCCP-65836 Sukhumi-Babusheri Airport (SUI)". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 7 April 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2013.