Wednesday, April 5 2017 19:04

ArmInfo. In the first quarter of 2017, passenger traffic at Zvranotots and Shirak airports increased by 23.6% per annum to 480.2 thousand people.

The press service of the General Department of Civil Aviation told ArmInfo that during the reporting period the number of passengers at Zvartnots Airport increased by 21.2%, and cargo transportation by 78.6% to 4,894 tons. The number of passengers at the airport "Shirak" in the I quarter of 2017 to the same period of 2016 increased by 3.7 times.

In March 2017, by March 2016, passenger traffic increased by 27.3%, while the number of passengers at Zvartnots Airport was 165.5 thousand, while in Shirak - 5.1 thousand.

According to the source, in the I quarter the number of departures and landings in Armenian airports increased by 16% per annum.

According to statistics, in the first quarter of 2016, passenger transportation by air increased by 9.7% per annum to 388.4 thousand people.

According to GDCA data, Zvartnots international airport in Yerevan, by the end of 2016, broke the historic record for the number of passengers transported, exceeding 2 million. The Zvarnotz airport registered similar "heights" in 1990.

To note, with the purpose of development of Gyumri airport "Shirak" the Armenian government has taken a number of steps. In particular, from December 31, 2014 the airport was released from payment of the so- called "air tax". Since January 1, 2017, the tariff for air navigation services has been reduced by 50%, and air services for airlines are free of charge. November 21, 2016 low-cost Russian airline Pobeda (lowcoster of Aeproflot) opened ticket sales for new international flights from Moscow's Vnukovo airport to the second largest city of Armenia Gyumri.

To recall, in airport "Shirak" for a long time, there were no flights at all. The implementation of the only Gyumri-Moscow flight in 2015 from the beginning of 2016 was suspended. Airport "Shirak" is a part of the "International Airports of Armenia" CJSC, established by the well-known Argentine businessman of Armenian origin Eduardo Eurnekyan. In February 2017, it was announced that the company that manages Shirak for the improvement of the airport infrastructure intends to implement a $ 10 million investment project, $ 3 million of which will be invested this year.