Tbilisi Airport

This airport is one of the smallest you will find anywhere representing itself as the country's biggest airport. It's not a particularly well lit airport and the facilities are very basic. When you arrive immigration can be chaotic. The queues I found tended to be slow and as is the case throughout Georgia with government officials being so lowly paid they tend to have the urgency of a tortoise. Some immigration officials when I arrived there were more interested in having a smoke and chatting to their friends rather than process tired passengers. This was 5.30am too when your patience is stretched after a days traveling like mine had been. That is another gripe too the foreign carriers to Georgia for some reason seem to get the worst slots landing in the early hours of the morning and then turning round immediately so you leave at the crack of dawn too. Because of the size usually there is only one arrival at a time the arrivals area would be crushed with 600+ people in there at the same time. When departing my advice would be to get there as late as possible. The queues are never particularly very long for departure. Figuring out the confusing customs form sorts that problem out. One thing people should be wary of is the attempts of customs officials looking for a bribe if your bags are too heavy. Do not pay they have no legal right to issue a "fine" for this. The airline will charge for excess baggage if you are over. If you do get stopped by a customs man refuse to pay they will soon give in and move on to another sucker. The departure lounge is very basic with just a few chairs and one exit to the aircraft so there can be confusion if another flight is leaving at the same time as there is no announcements on the pa. This airport can have the look of being daunting as is the horrors with ex soviet states but with patience and common sense you should be able to get through it unscathed.