It took until mid-2014 until flights to Mestia were resumed when Service Air, a Georgian company which owns and operates the Natakhtari airfield, won a contract for the route.

[6] Due to the outbreak of the corona pandemic, air traffic in Georgia was completely shut down by the government in 2020, except for mandated flights.

[8] Compared with Georgia's international airports, the passenger flow through Mestia was impacted relatively mild, and picked up again in 2021 in sold numbers.

After the 2003 Rose Revolution of 2003, when tourism became a focal point of policy, Mestia was quickly identified to be upgraded with a new airport including a paved runway.

In December 2010, the Queen Tamar Airport was opened by President Mikheil Saakashvili, who flew in with his government for a cabinet meeting.