Turkey inaugurated its brand new Çukurova International Airport in the southern province of Mersin on Saturday in the presence of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The new air transport hub is the 58th airport in the country, which has significantly strengthened its infrastructure in recent years, and is intended to serve the southern region, particularly provinces such as Adana, Mersin and Osmaniye.
“In addition to passenger transportation, our airport will also have a multiplier effect on the region’s exports,” Erdoğan said during the opening ceremony.
“It will facilitate the global distribution of products from industrial and commercial zones such as Mersin Port, Mersin and Adana Organized Industrial Zones, Iskenderun Bay Industrial Facilities and Yumurtalik Free Trade Zone,” he added.
The President further said that both the people of Adana and Mersin would soon realize the value of this significant investment.
Erdoğan gave information about the location of the airport and pointed out that it is about 35 kilometers from Adana and 40 kilometers from Mersin, exactly halfway between the two cities.
“Our airport is easily accessible from Mersin and Adana via both the D400 road and the highway. It will serve over 5 million people due to its proximity to Osmaniye and Niğde as well as Adana and Mersin,” he said.
In his speech, the President also pointed out that Çukurova International Airport has an annual passenger capacity of 9 million and a terminal area of 110,000 square meters.
The main runway is 3,500 metres long and 60 metres wide, while the airport apron has space for 48 aircraft. The total covered area of the superstructure facilities is 214,180 square metres (2.31 million square feet).
Erdoğan also recalled that massive investments have been made in airport traffic over the past 22 years. The number of active airports has increased from 26 to 58 during this period and the aim is to increase this number to 61 by 2053.
He also highlighted the expansion of the motorway network during the same period, noting that in 2002 there was no high-speed line, but today there is a 2,032-kilometer-long route.
Çukurova Airport was developed under the Build-Operate-Transfer program, the president said, adding that the project is expected to generate rental income of 297.1 million euros (324.6 million dollars) over 25 years.
“Our airport will make a significant contribution to trade, tourism, agricultural production and economic life throughout Çukurova and will provide employment directly and indirectly to approximately 3,000 people,” he noted.
