Zvartnots Airport Cargo Terminal
Zvartnots Cargo Terminal covers a warehouse area of 10,000 square meters (107,639 square feet). It can annually handle 100,000 tons of cargo. All types can be handled (AVI, DGR, HUM, PER, VAL). It is available 24-hours.
Zvartnots Airport Security
Security is very well organized in the airport. There are 150 surveillance cameras both inside and outside the airport. The airport’s aviation security department comes with the following structure: Access control subdivision, Passenger and baggage control subdivision, Pass and control subdivision and Technical control subdivision. Among some of the tasks the department performs are protection of airport territory, objects and aircrafts, search procedure of passengers, baggage, carry-on baggage, cargo, post, taking preventive measures in case of unlawful interference against civil aviation activity and so on.
Visa Types and Payments
There are four types of visas:
- Visitor Visa (V) – Allows arriving in Armenia and staying there for 120 days at most. This visa is issued to tourists wishing to visit Armenia for such purposes as tourism, seeing relatives, business, transportation, medical treatment or a short stay. Nationals of certain countries can apply for this visa only with invitation. Among them are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cameroon, China (except for Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macao), Egypt, India, Iraq, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria and Vietnam.
- A 21-day tourist visa costs $30. Visitor visa can be issued for single or multiple entries.
- Official Visa (O) – Official visas are for holders of official or service passports. They are issued for official purposes for single or multiple entries.
- Diplomatic Visa (D) – Diplomatic visas are for people who hold diplomatic status or passports. These visas as well are issued for official purposes for single or multiple entries.
- Transit Visa (TR) – This type of visa is necessary if Armenia is just a stopping point. It is issued for a maximum of three years at the price of $20.
Visa Payments should be made in Dram. Children under 18 won’t be charged any fee for either of the visas. For the rest, the payments are as follows:
- Visitor, single entry visa, up to 120 days of stay — 15,000 Dram.
- Visitor, single entry visa, up to 21 days of stay – 3000 Dram.
- Transit, single entry visa – 10,000 Dram.
Zvartnots Airport Historical Account
The airport was constructed in 1961. M. Khachikyan, A. Tarkhanyan, J. Sheqhlyan and L. Cherkezyan were chosen as the architects of the airport. The airport was designed H. Tigranyan and Armenian composer, artist and architect A. Meschyan. In 1980 the airport underwent renovation after which a new terminal area was opened. The purpose of this new area was to meet the domestic demands. Domestic demands imply demands within the Soviet Union, since then Armenia was a Soviet state.
Already in 1998 (after Armenia became an independent state) a new cargo terminal was built. It features modern technical equipment and carries the annual capacity of 100,000 tons of cargo. The cargo terminal’s modern technology meets the current requirements of accepting, storage, custom clearance and transportation.
In 2001, a 30-year concession agreement was signed with Armenia International Airports CJSC. It belongs to Argentine company corporation America, so eventually the agreement was signed with Argentine-Armenian businessman Eduardo Eurnekian. Upon the agreement, the airport was renovated and expanded, and the facilities and services were modernized. The ultimate goal was turn the airport into a significant tourist and commercial link between Asia and Europe. In 2004 a new international terminal was opened (it cost $100 million), which was followed by the opening of another terminal in 2011. Meanwhile, in 2006 the new arrival hall, and in 2007 the new departure hall started operating.
The terminal opened in 2011 is modernly equipped and has high earthquake stability. The façade of the terminal is made of glass, featuring the colors of the Armenian flag. The complex meets modern requirements and can annually handle up to 3,5 million passengers, twice more than in 2010.