1982 Sukhumi Dranda Airport runway collision

Vladislav Ardzinba Sukhum International Airport

Company type	Public
Industry	Aviation
Founded	1960s
Headquarters	Babushara, near Sukhumi , Abkhazia
Area served	Abkhazia
Products	Airport services, passenger flights

Vladislav Ardzinba Sukhum International Airport

Vladislav Ardzinba Sukhum International Airport (IATA: SUI, ICAO: UGSS / URAS), previously referred to as Sukhumi Babushara and Sukhumi Dranda, serves as the primary aviation facility for Abkhazia. It is situated in the village of Babushara, adjacent to the larger settlement of Dranda, approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) from Sukhumi, the capital city of this unrecognised republic.

On 1 May 2025, the airport recommenced its operations, reinstating direct flight connections with Moscow after a hiatus of three decades following the conflict during the early 1990s known as the war in Abkhazia.

History

Constructed during the mid-1960s when the area was still within the Soviet Union, the airport initially operated exclusively domestic routes. Its primary purpose at that time was to facilitate travel for Soviet citizens heading to Abkhazia's coastal resorts. The facility sustained significant destruction amid the civil conflict in the early 1990s. Since then, the HALO Trust, currently the sole organization conducting demining activities in Abkhazia, has cleared land mines and other explosive hazards from the site.

Between 1993 and 2025, airport operations were limited to flights connecting to the mountainous settlement of Pskhu and missions conducted by the Russian Air Force.Template:Fix/category

In 2006, officials from the government of the Republic of Abkhazia announced intentions to reinstate international air services in the future; nevertheless, as it is not officially recognized by ICAO as an international airport, any flights require authorization from the Georgian authorities.

Abkhazia also hosts another airfield near Gudauta, primarily serving Russian military personnel stationed there, along with a smaller landing strip in Pskhu.

In July 2019, Abkhazian leadership issued an official decree to reopen "Vladislav Ardzinba Sukhum International Airport" for international air traffic.

By July 2023, the People's Assembly of Abkhazia ratified a deal permitting a Russian private investor to undertake reconstruction work on the airport.

On February 7, 2025, a test flight operated by UVT Aero departed from Vnukovo Airport in Moscow and successfully landed at this airport, marking its reopening for scheduled services; shortly thereafter, commercial flights to Moscow commenced.

Airlines and destinations

1982 runway collision

On August 14, 1982, a collision occurred on a runway at Babushera Airport involving two aircraft. The planes involved were a Tu-134A (registration CCCP-65836, factory number 17113, serial 25-08) and a Let L-410M (registration CCCP-67191, factory number 781120, serial 11-20), both operated by "Aeroflot." These aircraft were operating flights 974 from Sukhumi to Moscow and G-73 from Sukhumi to Kutaisi, respectively. The accident led to the loss of 11 lives, including all 9 passengers and the 2 crew members aboard the L-410.

See also

• 1993 Sukhumi airliner attacks

References

1982 collision

• "Collision of Tu-134A and L-410M of Georgian UGA at Sukhumi Airport". Airdisaster.ru. Retrieved 2013-03-12.
• "Aircraft accident Let L-410M CCCP-67191 Sukhumi-Babusheri Airport (SUI)". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 2013-04-07. Retrieved 2013-03-12.
• "Aircraft accident Tupolev 134A CCCP-65836 Sukhumi-Babusheri Airport (SUI)". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 2013-04-07. Retrieved 2013-03-12.