ACI EUROPE today engaged with the government of Türkiye to review and address the challenges faced by the country in sustainably developing air connectivity to further contribute to its economy and global positioning.
Meeting with his Excellency Mr Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, the Director General of ACI EUROPE, Olivier Jankovec pointed to the impressive expansion of Turkish aviation over the past years.
Accordingly, total air connectivity in Türkiye has reached record levels, having expanded by +24% when compared to pre pandemic (2019) levels — far outperforming the European average, which still needs to recover ( 14%).
In this regard, the performance of iGA Istanbul Airport is clearly standing out, with the Turkish hub now ranking number 1 in Europe for direct air connectivity, up from the 5th position back in 2019.
Jankovec stressed how these developments are significantly contributing to the Turkish economy, considering that every +10% increase in air connectivity yields +0.5% gain in GDP per capita along with a +1.6% increase in jobs. In effect, the Turkish airports and the connectivity they enable contribute €47.2 billion to the country’s GDP and support close to 500,000 jobs.
However, Jankovec also raised a number of issues that need to be addressed to safeguard and reinforce aviation’s role as a critical engine of economic and social development in Türkiye — in particular when it comes to the vital tourism sector.
Chief amongst these issues is allowing more airlines to fly into Türkiye: “Airports around the world are focused on diversifying their airline portfolios to maximise their potential in terms of route development and connectivity.
“However, this requires more liberal approaches from Governments regarding traffic rights for all airlines, which regulate the extent to which they can access airports and plan their networks.
“In this context, it would be helpful if the Turkish government could reconsider its position on this matter, moving away from protectionist policies and instead adopting open skies principles. Failing to do so will only hinder wider economic benefits, to the disadvantage of the Turkish people”.
