Georgia Airport Smoking Areas

By , Author, Air Travel Writer · Updated

Georgia passed a strict indoor smoking ban in 2018, but it deliberately exempted airport transit zones — which is why Tbilisi Airport still has airside smoking when most of the country went smoke-free. The airside option is a set of enclosed, ventilated smoking booths, not an open-air terrace.

For international travel through Georgia, Tbilisi (TBS) is the airport that matters; Batumi and Kutaisi serve regional traffic.

How Georgian Airport Smoking Works

Georgia’s 2018 law bans indoor smoking but explicitly exempts airport transit zones:

  • Airside smoking survives at Tbilisi via enclosed, ventilated smoking booths near gates 101-103, plus a smoking section in the primeclass lounge
  • The general departure hall is smoke-free outside the booths
  • Outdoor smoking landside near the entrance
  • E-cigarettes and heated tobacco are treated like cigarettes — smoking booths or outdoors only

The Hub

Tbilisi International Airport (TBS). Georgia’s main gateway, TAV-operated. Travellers report enclosed, ventilated indoor smoking booths airside near gates 101-103, plus a smoking section in the primeclass lounge — the law’s “transit zones of airports” exemption is why airside smoking persists here. The general departure hall outside the booths is non-smoking.

Tips for Smokers at Georgian Airports

  • Tbilisi keeps airside smoking — head to the enclosed smoking booths near gates 101-103
  • The airside smoking is in enclosed, ventilated indoor booths, not an open-air terrace
  • E-cigarettes and IQOS follow the same rule as cigarettes — smoking booths or outdoors only
  • The transit-zone exemption means you don’t need to clear immigration to smoke

Georgia Airports Compared: Indoor, Outdoor & After Security

AirportAfter securityIndoor roomOutdoor area
Tbilisi International Airport (TBS)YesYesYes

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can you smoke at Tbilisi Airport (TBS)?

Yes — you can smoke after security at Tbilisi Airport. Georgia’s strict 2018 indoor smoking ban explicitly exempts airport transit zones, and travellers report enclosed, ventilated indoor smoking booths airside near gates 101-103, plus a smoking section in the primeclass lounge. The general departure hall itself is smoke-free.

Is there smoking after security at Tbilisi Airport?

Yes — enclosed, ventilated indoor smoking booths are accessible airside near gates 101-103, so transit passengers can smoke without clearing immigration, thanks to the law’s transit-zone exemption.

Are e-cigarettes and vapes allowed at Georgian airports?

Only where smoking is allowed. Georgia’s 2018 law treats e-cigarettes and heated tobacco the same as cigarettes — banned in enclosed areas generally, permitted only in the airside smoking booths or outdoors.

Where can I smoke at Tbilisi Airport?

In the enclosed, ventilated airside smoking booths near gates 101-103 (traveller-reported), plus a smoking section in the primeclass lounge, and at uncovered outdoor areas near the terminal entrance landside.

Why does Tbilisi Airport still allow smoking after the 2018 ban?

Because Georgia’s 2018 indoor smoking ban specifically carves out ’transit zones of airports’ as an exception, which permits a ventilated indoor smoking room — so the airside smoking booths survived even though indoor public smoking is otherwise banned nationwide.