Armenia is making significant progress in becoming a regional air transit hub. According to data from Zvartnots Airport, while only 36 passengers used Armenia as a transit country in 2018-2019, this number has exceeded 172,000 in 2024. As of March 11, the number of transit passengers stood at 14,542.
Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Armen Simonyan noted that the majority of this transit passenger flow was handled by local airlines, as reported by Armenpress.
"Local airlines play a crucial role in increasing the number of transit passengers, as they can use Armenian airports as transit points to transport passengers from one country to another—an option unavailable to many foreign carriers since they are not registered in Armenia. If a non-registered airline operates a flight to Armenia from a third country, it cannot continue to another destination due to intergovernmental air transport agreements," Simonyan explained.
Despite the significant rise in transit passengers, Armenia still has work to do in this direction.
"This issue can be divided into two parts: first, infrastructure—there must be appropriate facilities to handle transit flows efficiently. Efforts are already underway to expand Zvartnots Airport. Second, the arrival of new airlines and the growth of local carriers," the deputy minister added.
When asked how the increase in flights has affected ticket prices, Simonyan clarified that ticket pricing depends on multiple factors.
According to him, the industry operates on market principles, with airlines setting ticket prices based on demand, competition, and operational costs.
Looking ahead to 2025, Simonyan noted that new routes will be determined by demand from various countries for flights to and from Armenia.
He emphasized that the entry of new airlines and the expansion of routes do not pose any challenges, as a new electronic platform was introduced in 2024. Starting in 2025, applications for both scheduled and charter flights will be processed entirely online.
