Eerie photos of an abandoned airport that hasn't been touched in 25 years

Roman Robroek

November 9, 2019 1:58 PM

Roman Robroek

Abkhazia's airport has gone virtually untouched since the early 1990s. The airport is closed for international traffic because it's not recognized by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

I recently visited Abkhazia , a disputed region in Georgia, to photograph abandoned buildings and towns.
The Sukhumi Babushara Airport in Abkhazia was built in the 1960s, but hasn't been used since the early 1990s after it was heavily damaged in a war with Georgia.
Eerie photos of the abandoned airport show what it looks like today.
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On the coast of western Asia's Black Sea lies an airport that has been abandoned for 25 years.

The Sukhumi Babushara Airport in Abkhazia, a disputed region of Georgia, was built in the 1960s, when Abkhazia was still a part of the Soviet Union.

Thanks to the city of Sukhumi's proximity to the Black Sea, the airport was popular for domestic travelers looking for a beach getaway. At its peak, close to 5,000 people traveled through the airport each summer.

But the airport's fate changed in the early 1990s, when Abkhazia was ravaged by war with Georgia . The airport was heavily damaged, leading to its abandonment.

As a photographer with a focus on abandoned buildings , I took a particular interest in the Abkhazia airport. I recently traveled to the region to document what 25 years of neglect have done to the building.

Here's what the airport looks like today.

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