Wings of Tatev

Wings of Tatev
Wings of Tatev
Overview
Status	Operational
Character	Aerial tramway
Location	Syunik Province, Armenia
Termini	Halidzor; Tatev village / monastery
No. of stations	2
Open	16 October 2010
Technical features
Line length	5.7 km (3.5 mi)
Operating speed	37 km/h (23 mph)

Wings of Tatev^[1] (Armenian: Տաթևի թևեր Tatevi tever) is a 5.7 km (3.5 mi) cableway between Halidzor and the Tatev monastery in Armenia. It is the longest reversible aerial tramway built in only one section, and holds the record for Longest non-stop double track cable car.^[2] Construction was finished on 16 October 2010.

Wings of Tatev aerial tramway is located in Syunik region, 250 km to the south of Yerevan.

Total ride time from Halidzor station to Tatev monastery is about 12 minutes; a much shorter trip than the 40-minute ride along the steep serpentine road that follows the Vorotan gorge. Flying over the gorge, the aerial tramway cabin reaches its maximum height of 320 meters. When the first cabin reaches the Tatev station, the second one arrives at the Halidzor station. After the Wings are reloaded, the movement starts again in the opposite direction. Each cabin accommodates 30 passengers and one steward. The ropeway can accommodate about 240 passengers per hour. Powerful pillars divide the ropeway into four sections. The longest section is 2.7 km and overlooks the Tatev monastic complex.

History

The Wings of Tatev reversible aerial tramway was built within the framework of the Tatev Revival Project, the idea of which belongs to Ruben Vardanyan and Veronika Zonabend. It was by the Austrian-Swiss Doppelmayr Garaventa Group. The aerial tramway was officially launched on 16 October 2010. In the same year, on 23 October, it set the Guinness World Record for the longest non-stop reversible aerial tramway.

Tatev Gateway is a non-commercial project; the entire profit from the project is invested in the restoration of Tatev Monastery and the development of the local community.

Technical information

Type: non-stop, reversible aerial tramway
Manufacturer: Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group (Austria, Switzerland)
Length: 5,752 m
Ride time: 11–15 minutes (depending on weather conditions)
Cabin capacity: 30 passengers and an attendant
Number of cabins: 2
Maximum height: 320 m
Maximum speed: 10 m/s
Staff: 60 people^[3]

Investments to the project

The Tatev Gateway Project has involved an investment of more than US$22 million. USD 16 million of this amount has been used for the construction of the aerial tramway; over US$1 million – for the construction of Tatevatun Restaurant; USD 1.5 million – for the development of infrastructures; and about US$670,000 for the site improvement.

Statistics

From October 2010 to December 2019, the Wings of Tatev aerial tramway has welcomed more than 1 million passengers.

Number of passengers, October 2010 - December 2021
	Quarter I	Quarter II	Quarter III	Quarter IV	Total
2010				9 108	9 108
2011	1 964	18 894	33 890	6 201	60 949
2012	994	18 605	42 317	8 448	70 364
2013	1 092	17 154	47 941	7 598	73 785
2014	1 834	26 524	59 377	9 651	97 386
2015	1 495	29 706	57 423	9 030	97 654
2016	3 087	24 853	57 119	11 262	96 321
2017	3 855	39 252	74 712	17 332	135 151
2018	7 932	43 183	83 210	18 627	152 952
2019	5 826	47 905	79 905	22 347	155 983
2020	4 017	3 059	25 030	114	32 220 (year of COVID-19 and Artsakh war)
2021	1 284	15 757	38 846	11 856	67 743
2022	3 079	26,382	48,212	8,514	86,187

Operating hours

The Wings of Tatev aerial tramway operates all year round, and the operating hours vary from season to season. In summer (June–August), the aerial tramway operates from 9 am to 8 pm; in colder weather (October–April), it operates from 10 am to 6 pm; in May and September, it operates from 10 am to 7 pm. During high summer season, the aerial tramway operates every day, without exception. The rest of the year, it runs on every day but Monday.