After I discovered how cheap the fixed fare Bolt taxi was between Kutaisi airport and the city centre, I decided to do the same on the reverse trip. This was the only option I had if I wanted to get breakfast at the hotel, as the airport bus only runs once every couple of hours. The journey was therefore an easy one, with the taxi arriving only a couple of minutes after I booked it. This time, the driver didn’t feel the need to interrupt my plans to put my seat belt on and I was also pleased with his driving.
There are some subtle signs around the airport that this is a country looking towards the European Union and away from Russia. The political process of Georgia joining the EU has stalled at the moment, but opinion polls show that more 70% of residents support joining.
There is an airport lounge although it’s a paid one which doesn’t allow the various lounge cards access. I was aware of this in advance and so had ensured that my breakfast at the hotel was a substantial one.
The airport itself was clean, bright, functional and there were plenty of power outlets, but despite what it might look like from the above photo, there wasn’t really enough seating. There were a couple of cafes, a shop and an external smoking area for those who felt the need.
When the redeveloped airport opened in 2012, it handled fewer than 200,000 passengers during the following year. Wizz Air’s enthusiasm for serving Kutaisi has since helped push that figure towards two million, while expansion plans would eventually enable the airport to handle around five million passengers annually.
The walk to the aircraft confirmed that Georgia remained substantially warmer than my preferred operating temperature.
The aircraft was 9H-WDI, another new registration for me and therefore an important addition to records which nobody has yet requested to inspect.
The seating gods gave me an aisle seat just behind the emergency exit row seats. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, this led to the excitement of watching passengers attempt to upgrade themselves, before the Wizz Air cabin crew told them either to pay €20 or return to their allocated seats.
The flight itself was, yet again, uneventful which pleased me greatly. It was busy on board, but the service was efficient, the pilots were clear with their announcements and nothing fell off the aircraft.
And safely into Katowice Airport a little earlier than expected and with no incidents to report. All really rather lovely. Well, until there was a border issue, but more of that in the next post.