It was clear that simply restoring the monastery was not enough.
The Wings of Tatev reversible aerial tramway provided an out-ofthe-box solution to make Tatev, this pearl of medieval Armenian architecture, more accessible.
With this initiative, we intended to promote economic growth in the economically stagnant region. The Wings of Tatev Project attracted a significant inflow of tourists to an otherwise inaccessible monastery, which started to generate the kind of income needed to restore the monastic complex.
This, in turn, created the conditions for attracting government funding. A number of infrastructure issues needed to be resolved. In this regard, the Armenian Government’s support was crucial.
The Government, with World Bank support, reconstructed the 12-kilometer Sisian-Tatev road. A VAT exemption for importing the necessary construction equipment was granted, and the relocation of a high-voltage electricity line to the Tatev area was financed.
The project team cooperated with both local and international organisations and experts to ensure that the best international practices and standards were met for both the design and realisation of the project. The AustrianSwiss company Doppelmayr Garaventa Group, a leader in the field of design, manufacturing and maintenance of ropeways, was commissioned to carry out the work.
