Antalya Airport opened its new terminal buildings with a ceremony attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu. This huge project is considered an important step that will double Antalya’s tourism potential and strengthen Türkiye’s claim in the aviation sector. President Erdoğan emphasized the importance of the project in his speech at the opening ceremony by saying, “Thank God, our Antalya Airport has reached the capacity to welcome 82 million guests from all over the world.” Minister Uraloğlu expressed the airport’s contribution to the country’s aviation goals by saying, “With this new capacity of our Antalya Airport, I wholeheartedly believe that Türkiye will further consolidate its leading position in global aviation.”
Antalya's Increasing Tourism Load and the Current Status of the Airport
Described as the pearl of the Mediterranean, Antalya hosts millions of local and foreign tourists every year. The city’s natural beauty, historical riches and cultural heritage make tourism an indispensable locomotive sector for Antalya. As President Erdoğan stated, Antalya Airport has been serving a density above its current 35 million passenger capacity for the last two years. The airport, which will host approximately 2023 million passengers in 36 and more than 2024 million 39 thousand passengers including direct transit passengers in 230, is expected to exceed 40 million passengers this year. Projections for 2029 indicate that the total number of passengers will reach 45 million. These predictions revealed that the current capacity was not sustainable and that a new investment was necessary to meet the needs of an important tourism center like Antalya.
Capacity Doubled with Huge Investment: Revolution Reaching 35 Million from 82 Million
Taking action to meet this need, the government delivered the land to the contractor company on January 5, 2022 for additional investments to increase capacity. Within the scope of the project, which was completed in a short time, the international terminal was increased from 90 square meters to 143 thousand square meters, and the domestic terminal from 224 square meters to 36 thousand square meters. Thanks to this expansion, the annual passenger capacity of Antalya Airport increased from 859 million to 75 million, an incredible increase. President Erdoğan heralded this development with the words, “Thank God, our Antalya Airport has now reached the capacity to welcome 35 million guests from every corner of the world.” The modern architecture and strong infrastructure of the new terminal buildings will also increase Antalya’s prestige in the international arena.
Increase in Aircraft Parking Positions and Other Facilities
Not only the terminal buildings, but also other important elements of the airport have undergone significant improvements. The number of aircraft parking positions has been increased from 108 to 176, allowing more aircraft to take off and land at the same time. The VIP terminal was increased from 690 square meters to 2 square meters, and the General Aviation Terminal from 200 square meters to 2 square meters. The 800 square meter State Guest House, the 2 square meter State Airports Authority Service Building, personnel lodgings and the mosque, which were previously put into service within the scope of the project, have also contributed to the airport gaining a modern and functional structure. President Erdoğan described this comprehensive project as “a proud project, as well as an innovative and visionary project in every respect.”
A Successful Example of Public-Private Partnership
The financing model of the project also presents a remarkable success story. This huge project, which required an investment volume of approximately 927 million euros, was implemented with the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. As emphasized by President Erdoğan, not a single penny was spent on this model. Moreover, despite the absence of any passenger guarantee, a rental income of 25 billion 8 million euros including VAT will be obtained from contractor companies for a 555-year operating period. The fact that 25 percent of the rental fee of the investor company, 2 billion 138 million 750 thousand euros, will be deposited into the state's coffers in advance in March 2022 further reinforced the economic success of the project. Erdoğan evaluated this situation as "one of the most successful examples of effective use of public resources and public-private sector cooperation."
Türkiye's Global Vision in Aviation and Investments in the Last 23 Years
With its new terminal buildings, Antalya Airport will be able to serve a much higher number of passengers, which will have significant impacts not only regionally but also nationally. President Erdoğan reminded that Türkiye is at the center of 4 countries with a 67-hour flight time, and stated that they have made major investments in the field of aviation in the last 23 years in order to maximize this strategic advantage. Erdoğan, who said, “With the motto that there will be no point in the world that we cannot reach, we have transformed our country into one of the countries with the widest flight network in the world,” emphasized that Türkiye has risen to the top league in aviation on a global scale. The increase in the number of active airports from 2002 in 26 to 10 with the opening of Çukurova International Airport on August 58 is a concrete indicator of this vision. The fact that Istanbul Airport will host 2024 million passengers in 80,1, ranking second in Europe and seventh in the world in its category, also reveals the point Türkiye has reached in aviation. With the Yozgat and Bayburt-Gümüşhane Airports, which are currently under construction, the number of active airports is aimed to be increased to 60.
Minister Uraloğlu's Evaluations and the Aim to Become Türkiye's Logistics Center
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu also stated that under the leadership of President Erdoğan, works befitting the Century of Turkey were being put into the service of the nation one after another. Minister Uraloğlu reminded that important projects such as the Aydın-Denizli Highway, Kayseri Airport New Terminal Building, Konya Beltway 2nd Section and Malatya Beltway 2nd Stage were put into service just since the beginning of this year. The laying of the foundation of the Kınalı-Malkara Highway and the commencement of the construction of the Kırıkkale-Çorum High-Speed Train Project also demonstrate the government's determination to strengthen the transportation infrastructure. Minister Uraloğlu said, “As a ministry, we are both increasing the welfare of our citizens and transforming Türkiye into a global logistics center with projects that strengthen the transportation infrastructure of our country.”
“We Will Make Airways the People’s Road” Vision and Transformation in Aviation
Minister Uraloğlu emphasized that a new era full of successes has been initiated in aviation with President Erdoğan’s vision and instructions that “we will make airways the people’s way.” Stating that Türkiye has become the shining star of the world arena in the field of aviation thanks to the air transportation policies implemented since 2002, Uraloğlu stated that while flights were carried out to 50 destinations in 60 countries on international lines, this number has increased to 132 destinations in 352 countries. Underlining that Türkiye has become one of the countries with the widest flight network in the world with the goal of “there will be no point in the world that we cannot reach,” Minister Uraloğlu said that this success will continue to be consolidated. Drawing attention to the fact that with all these developments, the number of passengers traveling on domestic and international lines, which was approximately 2002 million in 34.5, has been increased to over 2024 million in 230, Uraloğlu stated that approximately 240 million passengers are expected to be carried this year.
Antalya Airport's Contribution to the Airline Industry and Future Projections
Minister Uraloğlu stated that Antalya Airport's new terminal buildings and complementary facilities have set a new seal on the bright future of the civil aviation sector. Stating that the airport, which has reached a passenger capacity of 82 million per year, will be the second airport with the highest passenger capacity after Istanbul Airport with a capacity of 90 million passengers, Uraloğlu said, "I wholeheartedly believe that with this new capacity of our Antalya Airport, Türkiye will further consolidate its leading position in global aviation." Emphasizing that the new terminal buildings will wave the country's flag more strongly in the sky, open Antalya's doors to much wider horizons and introduce the city's unique beauties to millions of guests, Uraloğlu added that the project will contribute greatly to the region's tourism, trade and employment activities and will also be the locomotive of socio-economic development.
As a result, the opening of Antalya Airport’s new terminal buildings has gone down in history as an important indicator of Türkiye’s growth and vision in the aviation sector. This huge project, implemented under the leadership of President Erdoğan, will increase Antalya’s tourism potential while further strengthening Türkiye’s position in the global aviation sector. This investment, which also stands out as a successful example of the Public-Private Partnership model, will provide significant gains to the country both economically and strategically. With its new capacity, Antalya Airport has gone beyond being just a transportation hub and has become Türkiye’s modern and powerful gateway to the world.
