How many airports are there in Armenia? If you ask anyone who has ever been to Armenia, they will most likely mention just one airport: The Zvartnots International. But did you know that there are actually 11 airports in Armenia in total? And the main international airport in Yerevan is not the only one that is open for international civic flights. So, let’s learn more about airports in Armenia and see what your options are.
If you happen to be in any of these airports and have cool pictures, remember me! Please ping me on Instagram or Twitter, with #ArmeniaTravelTips. I’d love to see them!
How many airports does Armenia have?
As of now there are 11 airports in Armenia in total, only three of which are open for commercial flights. International flights for travelers are currently operated from the 2 main airports. That’s the main Zvartnots International in Yerevan and Shirak International airport next to Gyumri, the second largest city in Armenia.
The third airport you may consider relevant during your trip to Armenia is the newly reopened Syunik Airport. It is located in the South of the country, and it is also often called Kapan airport. It’s located on the border with Azerbaijan, close to the town of Kapan, from which it takes its unofficial name. As of January 2022 this airport is scheduled to operate a small number of weekly domestic flights between Yerevan and Kapan.
The remaining 8 airports are either operated by the government or military, or they’re not operational at the moment. So, I’m not going to focus on them, since they’re irrelevant for you.
Zvartnots Internation Airport – Yerevan
Zvartnots (IATA: EVN) is an international airport hosting more than 3million passengers a year. It’s modern, well equipped, and it complies with all international standards. It offers the whole standard range of services and options you may expect from an international airport. So, things like good infrastructure, restaurants/cafes, Duty Free shops, a business lounge etc. are here at your service. Actually, if you are traveling with a dog, that’s also possible as Armenia has all the regulations in place.
Unlike many airports located near capital cities, Zvartnots is relatively close to the city. So, you won’t have to drive for hours to get to it. It’s just about 12 km away from the Yerevan city center, only an 18 min drive. Check it on the map. If you decide to travel from Zvartnots to the city center on Yerevan airport bus, it will cost you less than a dollar.
Zvartnots is the main international airport of Armenia, and it is one of the busiest airports in the region. Back in 2013 it even won an award, being considered the best airport in the CIS region.
The airport is easily accessible from the Yerevan city center by a bus number 201. It runs every 30 min during the daytime, and every hour at night. It can take you from/to the airport in less than 30 min for only 300 AMD (0.6 USD). There are also taxi services available, as well as car rental company offices right at the airport, in case you want to rent and drive a car while in Armenia.
Shirak International Airport – Gyumri
Shirak International (IATA: LWN) is the second biggest airport in Armenia with a total capacity of 700 000 passengers per year. However, it doesn’t get even close to servicing this number of passengers currently. The thing is it’s been completely modernized and removed only in 2021, which significantly increased its capacity.
It is still considered a quite small airport by international standard, but it is nice and clean, and even has a Duty-Free section. Most of the international flights operated from this airport fly to different cities in Russia. Although, since 2019 we started seeing more low-cost airlines flying from this airport to European destinations like Germany, Italy and Latvia.
Shirak International is located about 5km away from Gyumri, the cultural capital of Armenia. By the way, Gyumri is a must visit in my opinion. If you’re considering traveling through the north of Armenia, I definitely recommend you flying through this airport. That way you can spend a couple of days in Gyumri, and it’s worth it. I wrote more about why it’s so good in my list of top cities in Armenia, so check it out.
Syunik (Kapan) Airport in the South of Armenia
Syunik Airport is located next to Kapan, the largest city of the southern region of Armenia called Syunik. And this airport is truly tiny! It’s going to open in January 2022 as I’m writing this post. It is only set to operate a couple of domestic flights per week, between the capital and the city of Kapan. But the added value of the time it can save you is huge!
The thing is that a typical trip from Yerevan down to that southern region of Armenia is going to take about 5 hours if you decide to drive. But a flight is going to take less than an hour. And trust me Syunik is worth visiting!
Bordering both Iran and Azerbaijan, this is a region of very special highlands and fantastic beauty. If you’re eager to discover more, read my post about Hiking in Tatev. I put together more details about the spectacular views that can open for you in this region in that blogpost.
Final thoughts on the main airports in Armenia
So, which airport in Armenia to choose for your flights in and out of the country? If you’re flying to Armenia, chances are high that you will land at the Zvartnots International airport. Most flights come there anyway. Shirak airport serves a very limited number of flights from a very limited number of countries. But! If you get a chance to choose, then I definitely recommend flying to Shirak and staying in Gyumri for a couple of days. And then you can head south, to Yerevan and further.
I hope you will have a nice experience in our airports, and our “not always so friendly” airport staff. Share your experiences with me on Instagram or Twitter, with #ArmeniaTravelTips. Whether positive or negative, I want to hear them. Bon voyage!
Featured image credits: Beko on Wikimedia (CC)
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