ARMENIA PLANS A NEW AIRPORT
The Messenger
Jan 3 2009
Georgia
The Armenian PM has ordered the appropriate bodies to carry out a
feasibility study for building a new airport to satisfy the needs of
forwarding companies and airlines.
This idea has come about because many foreign airlines refuse to
use Gumry airport when Zvartnoc-Yerevan airport is closed due to
bad weather, which unfortunately happens quite often. Gumry airport
is in the mountains and many international pilots refuse to land
there. Therefore the planes land in Turkey or Georgia rather than
Armenia. The latter has offered to train overseas pilots to land
planes in the mountains but no one has yet responded to this offer.
To find an appropriate site for a new airport, develop a project and
construct it will take at least five years, it is believed. However
Armenia is also considering creating an economic zone around Yerevan
International Airport to encourage further traffic.