Batumi City Hall has uploaded a document to its website indicating that Mert Kandieli, Deputy General Manager of Batumi Airport, has written to Elene Gubianuri, head of the National Environmental Agency, regarding a project to modify the airport’s operations.

In the letter, Kandieli requests the agency’s opinion on whether the airport expansion project requires an environmental impact assessment. He also notes that the screening report has already been submitted.

According to Kandieli, the letter is accompanied by a 30-page screening report and other attachments, though these materials have not been uploaded by City Hall. Based on the indicated date, the letter was sent to the agency on 4 November 2025.

Four months earlier, on 11 August 2025, according to an order issued by the head of the National Environmental Agency, the project for modifying airport operations was deemed not to require environmental impact supervision.

According to the same order, the project envisions the expansion of the aircraft parking apron and the passenger terminal building, as well as relocating the automobile fuel station.

“The expansion/rehabilitation of the aircraft parking apron is planned west of the existing apron, covering an additional 8,200 m². The purpose of the expansion is to create parking stands for Category ‘C’ aircraft, as well as a helicopter stand. Part of the planned area is covered with old asphalt pavement, while another part consists of technical soil. The project includes the relocation of existing infrastructure drainage systems, sewage networks, power supply, and underground lines and the design of new connections.”

According to the submitted information, under the modified operational conditions, three new spaces will be added to the existing passenger terminal building:

  • Space I (194.3 m²): office area for airport staff;
  • Space II (126.4 m²): auxiliary space for personnel and improved airport operations;
  • Space III (103.0 m²): space intended to improve and streamline passenger flow.

It remains unclear why the Deputy General Manager of the airport is formally requesting an additional confirmation that the project does not require an environmental supervision report. Batumi City Hall has not yet uploaded the full documentation for public access.

Meanwhile, the state-owned company Sakaeronavigatsia plans to conduct a new study to determine how the safety zone around Batumi Airport should be redefined.

One of the aims of the study is to develop “adjusted safety surfaces, including height zoning” for Batumi International Airport, which would ensure flight safety while also allowing for “greater flexibility” in the urban development of the city.

Sakaeronavigatsia has already announced a tender for procuring aviation research services for modifying existing Obstacle Limitation Surfaces (OLS), developing adjusted OLS, and determining maximum permissible obstacle heights within the protected area of Batumi Airport.