President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke at the Opening Ceremony of the 4th Runway and Additional Investments at Istanbul Airport.
Erdoğan said that the fourth main runway and additional investments would increase Istanbul Airport’s global connectivity capacity and provide savings in taxiing and waiting times, landing and take-off safety, fuel and time. Stating that they were working to make use of Türkiye’s location, Erdoğan noted that 1 and a half billion people from 67 countries could reach the country within 4 hours.
Announcing that investments worth 2.12 trillion lira had been made in transport and infrastructure, including 604.4 billion lira in air transport in Istanbul alone, Erdoğan said that since 2002, the number of active airports had increased from 26 to 58, the number of countries with agreements from 81 to 175, and the number of international destinations from 60 in 50 countries to 356 in 133 countries. He said the number would reach 60 with Yozgat and Bayburt-Gümüşhane airports, and that the third sea airport would be built in Trabzon. The number of passengers, which was 34.5 million in 2002, exceeded 247 million in 2025 and 167.5 million in the first 8 months of 2026. Erdoğan stated that Istanbul Airport ranked second in Europe and 8th in the world with 84.5 million passengers last year, adding that the opposition’s criticism had proven unfounded and that the airport had received awards.
Why it matters
The scope of the investments shows that Istanbul Airport has been placed at the center not only of transportation within the city but also of Türkiye’s role in international air connectivity. The operational gains expected from the arrangements concerning runway and terminal capacity directly affect passengers, airlines and airport management amid heavy air traffic. Data on the airport and international flight network across the country indicate that transportation policy is not limited to a single hub, but aims for broader access supported by new destinations. However, how the announced investments will balance regional access and growth in air traffic remains the main question to be answered, particularly as new airport projects are completed.
Background
Erdoğan is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: we have published 12 reports mentioning this name in the last 90 days; the latest is dated September 15, 2026.