Wings of Tatev

Wings of Tatev aerial tramway

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 (Template:Lang-hy 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. 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

File:Вид из канатки на зимний Татев.jpg

View from the cabin to Tatev Monastery in winter

Investments to the project

As of December 2017, the Tatev Gateway Project has involved an investment of more than USD 22 million. USD 16 million of this amount has been used for the construction of the aerial tramway; over USD 1 million – for the construction of Tatevatun Restaurant; USD 1.5 million – for the development of infrastructures; and about USD 670,000 for the site improvement.

Statistics

From October 2010 to December 2017, the Wings of Tatev aerial tramway has welcomed over 640,000 passengers. In 2017, there has been more than 40% annual increase in the number of passengers.

Number of passengers, October 2010 - December 2017

	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

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.

Gallery

• 
  The tram
• 
  View from the tram
• 
  Road to the main buildings and lower station in Halidzor
• 
  Main building (administration, restaurant, ticket office)
• 
  Lower station "Halidzor"
• 
  Upper station "Tatev"
• 
  A billboard advertising the tramway near Goris

References

• "Longest cable car links Armenian monastery". Euronews. 19 October 2010. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
• "Armenia opens aerial tramway aspiring to be named the world's longest". Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review. 18 October 2010. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
• "World's longest cable car line opens to Armenia". The Jakarta Globe. 16 October 2010. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
• "World Longest Tramway?". CNN. 6 September 2010. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
• Wings of Tatev in Guinness Book of Records (video) | Armenia News - NEWS.am