ArmInfo. Currently, Yerevan's Zvartnots Airport is operating at almost twice its design capacity, according to Elinar Vardanyan, a member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia from the opposition "Armenia" faction.
According to her, in 2025, the airport handled 5,615,789 passengers, setting a historical record. 42,679 tons of cargo and mail were also transported. Authorities are eager to present this as an "unprecedented success." "But just step inside the airport and it becomes clear it's operating at its limits, in overload mode. And records were set not through effective management, but through the system's resilience. Zvartnots Airport in its current form was built and commissioned in 2006-2007, during Robert Kocharyan's presidency. It was built amidst intense resistance, when statements like, 'They're giving our airport to others,' and 'They're destroying the most beautiful airport in the world,' were all that were being made. But the airport was built and was one of Armenia's most important strategic projects, requiring continuation in the form of new infrastructure, but this wasn't done. Zvartnots was designed to handle approximately 3-3.5 million passengers annually, and a long-term development program was planned. However, today the airport is operating at almost twice its design capacity, without any corresponding expansion or modernization. Eight years and no results," the parliamentarian noted.
She added that in 2018, a project was already underway to reconstruct the old terminal, develop new infrastructure, and comprehensively modernize the airport grounds. However, eight years have passed since then, and the authorities have failed to implement a single tangible construction project. During this time, at least two new terminals could have been built and Zvartnots prepared to become a regional aviation hub. Eight years, zero results, yet claims of unprecedented success are being made.
"If you ask the authorities, everyone is to blame but themselves. The previous ones are to blame, Eurnekian is to blame, and perhaps the airlines too. One can only hope that the fifth amendment to the concession agreement for Zvartnots International Airport, recently approved by the government, will ultimately lead to the construction of a new terminal. Moreover, the investments are planned to be completed by 2033. After eight years of inactivity, we can wait that long. Until then, Zvartnots will continue to operate at an overloaded capacity," noted Elinar Vardanyan.
As a reminder, on January 23, RA Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan and Martin Eurnekian, Executive Director of the Argentine company Corporacion America S.A., signed the fifth amendment to the concession agreement for the management of Zvartnots International Airport. The document provides for an extension of the Yerevan Airport's trust management term until 2067, as well as a $425 million investment by the concessionaire.
Yerevan Zvartnots International Airport is operated by Armenia International Airports CJSC under a 30- year concession management agreement signed with the Armenian government in 2001. The company also manages Shirak Airport in Gyumri.
