Construction of a brand new €357m ($477m) airport on Turkey’s southern Mediterranean coast has begun this month to alleviate the nearby over-flowing Adana Airport (which served 3.27m pax in 2011).

 

The new Çukurova regional airport is in the port city of Mersin and will have international status with capacity to eventually serve 15m passengers after completion which is expected within the next 36 months. It is expected to operate a wider route network than Adana Airport which currently has a number of seasonal summer routes, mostly to Germany.

 

A private joint venture consortium of Sky Line Transport Trade Corporation and Zonguldak Civil Aviation Industry won the tender by the General Directorate of the State Airports Authority of Turkey to build the airport. The build-operate-transfer model gives the consortium the right to operate the airport for nine years and 10 months from opening.

No details have yet been released about the commercial offer at the airport but the terminal is being designed with the environment in mind and will have a footprint of 107,000sq m. It will be able to serve 10m passengers in the first 10-year phase.

 

According to the lead architect for the project, Emre Arolat, the terminal will be open and spacious inside allowing movement to be observed from anywhere with large inner gardens designed to produce a natural ambience. Emre Arolat adds that “looking at the Çukurova Regional Airport complex from far away, only sky, grass and the landing field will be visible”.

 

With a population of 5.74m, the Çukurova region has one of the largest population concentrations in Turkey and is regarded as a transportation gateway from Europe to the Middle East and Central Asia.

 

OUTPERFORMING MARKET

Turkey is one of the fastest growing air markets in Europe. Commenting on European airport growth for 2012, ACI Europe spoke of “an alarming decline” but Turkish airports were among the few exceptions. Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport had passenger growth of +20.3%, Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen Airport grew by +8.4%, Izmir +9.6%, and Ankara +8.6%.

 

Tourism spending has also been rising fast with receipts of $25.7bn in 2012, significantly up on the $20.8bn in 2010.