President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended the inauguration ceremony for the third runway for increased take-off and landing capacity, the State Guesthouse, and the mosque at Istanbul Airport.
In his speech delivered at the ceremony, Erdoğan stated that the new airport would take Istanbul one more step further as a world brand. Noting that the Istanbul Airport, which has become a source of pride for the nation since the start of its operation, now had its third independent runway, second control tower, and new taxiway, Erdoğan stated that they would also take that opportunity to inaugurate the State Guesthouse and the mosque within the facilities of the airport.
Expressing his wish that all three structures would serve the best interests of the country, Erdoğan congratulated all people involved on putting the three facilities into the service of the nation. Stating that they worked together in the process with former Ministers of Transportation Binali Yıldırım, Mehmet Cahit Turan, and Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Adil Karaismailoğlu, Erdoğan continued his remarks as follows:
"This airport, a true masterpiece worldwide from its construction to total capacity, is one of the symbols of Turkey’s goals for 2023. We held the official inauguration of the Istanbul Airport on October 29, 2018, but our airport reached its full working capacity 14 months ago on April 6, 2019. Until now, our airport hosted 107 thousand domestic flights, and 316 thousand international flights, which amount to 423 thousand flights and 65 million passengers in total. The new third runway, the second control tower, and the taxiway that we will put into service today will reduce waiting time in domestic and international flights and this will increase the previous numbers rapidly. Another feature of our runway that we have inaugurated is that it enables even the largest planes of the world to easily land, take off, and park as well. Furthermore, there are very few airports in the world that control high-density air traffic like this with a second tower next to the runway. Our runway is also an exemplary work with its technical infrastructure enabling it to be used under all weather conditions. Through the opening of the metro line, which is still under construction, the transportation time between our airport and the city center will also be shortened."
"The capacity can be expanded to 200 million passengers"
Stating that the Istanbul Airport had a capacity of 90 million passengers annually in its current form, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan continued as follows:
"Our airport was built with a projection that can be expanded to 200 million passengers annually if required. When we put aside the interruption caused by the pandemic, there is not any important center that cannot be reached from Istanbul Airport. With the opening of the airport, about which all users expressed their compliments, a new era has started in global and regional air transportation. Indeed, many countries have had to review the status of their existing airports as well as their new airport investments. While some countries have risen upon their colonial accumulation from the past, and some countries upon the effortlessly-obtained revenues from natural resources, we have devised our own development models."
President Erdoğan said that as a country that implemented the most successful public-private partnership projects, they were raising the bar in transportation and health higher and higher by the day.
Stating that they met two more important needs in the airport by putting the State Guesthouse and the mosque into service, Erdoğan expressed his belief that those two precious pieces would contribute to the brand value of Istanbul Airport.
President Erdoğan reminded that they promised the public to boost the country on 4 pillars when they came into power about 18 years ago, and said, “We expressed these as education, health, justice, and safety. As we look back today, thank God, we see that we have fulfilled our promise regarding these four pillars and added several additional services from transportation to energy, from agriculture and industry to trade. I believe what we have done in the transport sector alone is enough to prove our progress alone.”
“In 2002, the total number of airline passengers was not even 34 million”
Stating that he wanted to outline the services, starting from the airport, Erdoğan continued as follows:
“In 2002, the total number of airline passengers in Turkey was not even 34 million. Last year, that number was 209 million. While our airport number was 26, with 30 additional airports, we have increased that number to 56. With our airports still under construction, such as Yozgat, Rize, Artvin Bayburt, and Gümüşhane, this number will increase even more.
With regard to the highways, we have increased the length of our divided roads from 6 thousand 100 kilometres to over 27 thousand 200 kilometres, with the addition of 21 thousand 100 kilometres. We have enhanced the 1,714 kilometre network on our highways, with an additional 1,400 kilometres to over 3,100 kilometres. We have increased the number of our tunnels from 83 to 395, and their length from 50 kilometres to 523 kilometres. As for Turkey’s railways, we are, for the first time, equipping our country with high-speed trains and high-speed train network. High-speed trains currently serve a railway of 1,213 kilometres. This number will increase to 2 thousand with the lines that will soon come into service. Additionally, the construction of the new high-speed train line with a length of nearly 2,000 kilometres is underway. Planning continues for at least that much, as well. In addition, we have renewed the 11,600 kilometre line, which corresponds to almost our entire existing railway network.”
“Every investment we make in transportation in Istanbul is a global achievement”
President Erdoğan stated that every investment made in transportation in Istanbul, the largest city in the country, and the junction between the two continents, was a global achievement.
“With transport investments reaching 880 billion TL in total, we have accommodated Turkey's transport infrastructure in line with the development goals. There are many divided roads, highways, ring roads, bridges, and tunnels that are still under construction,” he said.
“What happened during the pandemic showed the extent of Turkey’s potential”
Noting that what happened during the pandemic which affected Turkey as well as the whole world showed once again the extent of Turkey’s opportunities and potential, Erdoğan stated the following:
“If this nation could build in 45 days a 1008-room hospital in Yeşilköy and a 1008-room hospital in Sancaktepe, it shows how resolute, determined, and capable this nation is with the will of God. On the other hand, by creating a truly magnificent work with the Çam and Sakura City Hospital in Başakşehir, we said, not only to our country but to the world as well, that ‘we are capable, God willingly we can do it’.”
President Erdoğan said that the problems would continue if the rules of wearing masks, social distancing, and hygiene were not followed.
Erdoğan stated that if the rules of wearing masks, social distancing, and hygiene were followed, this period (Covid-19) would be overcome rapidly and there would be a return to the old peaceful days.
President Erdoğan continued his speech as follows:
“We will work night and day to turn our advantages, which became clear during the pandemic, into means to achieve our goals. In the past, Turkey failed to benefit from the great transformation periods at the global level because of political cadres lacking vision or domestic quarrels. I hope this time it will be different. Although some people are striving to draw our country into the swamp of instability as always, we will never give them the opportunity. Some are trying to curb Turkey due to their ambitions and some due to the roles given to them in the scenarios of foreign powers but none of them will reach their goal.”
Erdoğan expressed his wishes that the third runway and second tower of Istanbul Airport, the State Guest House, and the mosque will serve the interest of the nation, and congratulated those who contributed to introducing the new parts of a proud work to Turkey.
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Adil Karaismailoğlu, Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa Varank, Minister of Youth and Sports Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu, Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun, Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın, İstanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya, AK Party İzmir MP Binali Yıldırım, AK Party Deputy Chairman Numan Kurtulmuş, İGA Chairman Mehmet Cengiz, Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee İlker Aycı also attended the ceremony.
