President Erdoğan spoke at the opening ceremony for the 4th runway and additional investments at Istanbul Airport
Our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, “The fourth main runway and the additional investments that we will put into service today will, God willing, make very significant contributions to Istanbul Airport, the world leader in global connectivity. These investments will further raise our airport’s service standards, from general aviation operations to taxiing and waiting times, and from takeoff and landing safety to fuel and time savings.”
President Erdoğan delivered a speech at the Opening Ceremony of the 4th Runway and Additional Investments held at Istanbul Airport.
Wishing that the facilities and investments to be inaugurated would bring goodness and benefit to Istanbul, the country, the nation, and the civil aviation community, Erdoğan said, “The fourth main runway and the additional investments that we will put into service today will, God willing, make very significant contributions to Istanbul Airport, the world leader in global connectivity. These investments will further raise our airport’s service standards, from general aviation operations to taxiing and waiting times, and from takeoff and landing safety to fuel and time savings.”
Thanking everyone who contributed to these projects, Erdoğan explained that Türkiye occupies a highly exceptional position on the world map.
President Erdoğan stated that 1.5 billion people from 67 countries can easily reach Türkiye by taking a flight of only four hours, adding that Türkiye’s connectivity infrastructure becomes much clearer when land, sea, and rail routes are also taken into account.
Erdoğan said that they were striving to make the best use of the advantages offered by this geographical position and continued as follows:
“We are, so to speak, working tirelessly to ensure that 86 million people live more comfortably, conveniently, and peacefully. We are mobilizing all our resources so that every individual in this country feels safe and our young people can look to the future with confidence. Because we have a responsibility toward this nation, which was neglected for decades and whose resources were recklessly squandered, and we have a debt to repay. Our goal is to rebuild the Republic of Türkiye through investments, achievements, and services. We have a great ideal of making the century we are living in the ‘Century of Türkiye.’ For this reason, we have done and continue to do whatever is necessary. We have worked and continue to work to serve this beloved nation properly in areas ranging from the economy to justice, healthcare to security, foreign policy to education. We have sought to repay the trust our nation has placed in us through services covering all 81 provinces, 922 districts, and all 86 million of our citizens. Praise be to God, together with our nation, we have transformed Türkiye into a strong country at home, an influential country in its region, and a respected country in the world. Now, with new goals, we are continuing on our path along the lines of unity, health, and strength.”
“We have made Türkiye one of the countries with the world’s widest flight networks”
Emphasizing that they would continue to implement investments that would strengthen Istanbul, the apple of the world’s eye, and Türkiye, without slowing down and by accelerating the pace, Erdoğan noted the following:
“We have made a total investment of 2.12 trillion Turkish liras at current prices in transportation and infrastructure in Istanbul alone, including 604.4 billion liras in air transportation. We have made Türkiye one of the countries with the world’s widest flight networks. Since 2002, we have increased the number of active airports from 26 to 58. We have raised the number of countries with which we have signed air transport agreements from 81 to 175. We have expanded the number of international destinations from 60 points in 50 countries to 356 points in 133 countries. With the Yozgat and Bayburt–Gümüşhane airports currently under construction, we will increase the number of active airports to 60. Following Ordu–Giresun and Rize–Artvin, we will also build our third airport over the sea in Trabzon. We have transformed air travel, once accessible only to the elite, into a means of transportation for the public.”
Our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, “For those who have spent years trying to keep their ships afloat through nothing but obstructionist politics, without laying one stone upon another, and who have grown accustomed to this, the sea has now run out. The era of playing politics in this country through intrigue, corruption, and political engineering carried out in dark rooms has also come to a complete end.”
In his speech at the Opening Ceremony of the 4th Runway and Additional Investments at Istanbul Airport, President Erdoğan said that the number of passengers in the country, which stood at 34.5 million on domestic and international flights in 2002, exceeded 247 million in 2025.
Erdoğan stated that, with this performance, they ranked third in Europe and seventh in the world in terms of passenger numbers, and said, “In the first eight months of 2026, the number of passengers traveling by air across our country exceeded 167.5 million, reaching nearly twice our population. In June, we successfully completed the Gayrettepe–Istanbul Airport–Halkalı Metro Project, which has a total length of 69 kilometers, by opening the Halkalı–Arnavutköy section of the Halkalı–Istanbul Airport Metro line. In this way, we placed Türkiye’s longest and fastest metro line at the service of our citizens. We also significantly facilitated access to Istanbul Airport.”
“It has once again become clear that they have no vision”
Erdoğan stated that he had to express, with regret, another fact concerning the country and the nation, and continued as follows:
“While we were trying to bring Istanbul Airport to our country, the actors of the opposition, both old and new, were also trying to block this investment. We all remember what they said, don’t we? They came out and said, ‘The new airport obstructs birds’ migration routes.’ They said, ‘What is the need to build a new airport in Istanbul?’ They said, ‘This place is windy; aircraft cannot land here.’ They said, ‘This place is a swamp; aircraft cannot take off from here.’ They said, ‘What is an airport doing in a place where birds do not fly and caravans do not pass?’ They targeted Istanbul Airport with many more criticisms that defied reason and logic. Instead of clearing the way, facilitating matters, and offering constructive criticism, they constantly pursued destruction, damage, obstruction, and delay. But what happened in the end? All of their claims turned out to be unfounded. It once again became clear that they have no vision.”
Emphasizing that Istanbul Airport, which they claimed would be a place where “aircraft could not land,” had achieved record after record and success after success since the day it entered service, Erdoğan noted that the airport hosted 84.5 million passengers last year, ranking second in Europe and eighth in the world in terms of passenger numbers.
Erdoğan stated that Istanbul Airport had been awarded the titles of “Best Airport of the Year” and “World’s Most Family-Friendly Airport” many times to date, that it offered flights to more than 340 destinations through more than 110 airlines, and that it became Europe’s busiest airport by serving 8.15 million passengers last July.
Pointing out that Istanbul Airport broke Türkiye’s and Europe’s daily passenger record on August 16 with 291,000 passengers, Erdoğan said, “On August 30, we broke the all-time flight record with 1,787 flights. Thus, Istanbul Airport achieved the highest number of flights ever recorded in a single day both in Türkiye and across Europe. They used to say, ‘Aircraft cannot take off from here,’ but exactly 1,787 aircraft landed and took off in just one day. With the triple independent parallel runway operations system that we introduced in April 2025, Istanbul Airport became one of the select centers in the world where independent takeoffs and landings can be carried out simultaneously on three runways—becoming the first in Europe and the second in the world.”
President Erdoğan stated that they had achieved the same success not only in passenger transportation but also in cargo and freight transportation, adding that there were figures there as well that made everyone happy and proud.
“From now on, the programs and projects of political parties will compete in Türkiye”
President Erdoğan stated the following:
“When we look back, this is what we see: Our airport is one of the most visionary investments made in Istanbul. With Istanbul Airport, our city has gained a monumental project. The brand value of our country has increased even further on a global scale. Türkiye has entered the Champions League of civil aviation, adding strength to its power. Those who attacked us over Istanbul Airport received the best response through these successes, these awards, and these broken records. For those who have spent years trying to keep their ships afloat through nothing but obstructionist politics, without laying one stone upon another, and who have grown accustomed to this, the sea has now run out. The era of playing politics in this country through intrigue, corruption, and political engineering carried out in dark rooms has also come to a complete end. We believe that from now on, achievements will compete, visions will compete, and the programs and projects of political parties will compete in Türkiye.”
Erdoğan announced that they were continuing infrastructure investments at Istanbul Airport rapidly in line with their growth targets and said, “Today, we are placing at the service of our nation the first east–west-oriented concrete runway at Istanbul Airport, which currently operates on this enormous 76.5-million-square-meter site with five runways—three main and two reserve runways. With the fourth main runway, which has an investment value of 890 million euros, a length of 2,820 meters, and a width of 45 meters, we are increasing the total number of runways here to six.”
Our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, “With the new investments that we will implement in the coming years, we will continue to keep Istanbul Airport at the summit of global aviation. While those who criticized this visionary project by calling it ‘waste’ continue to waste their days with debates over names and party congresses, we will not refrain from bringing new investments and new projects to our country.”
In his speech at the Opening Ceremony of the 4th Runway and Additional Investments at Istanbul Airport, President Erdoğan stated that the fourth main runway would accelerate general aviation operations thanks to its proximity to the hangar areas.
Erdoğan said that it would shorten taxiing and airborne holding times, particularly on domestic and eastbound routes, and added, “It will provide savings in fuel and time and reduce emissions. Even under adverse weather conditions, it will maximize operational flexibility, takeoff and landing safety, and on-time departure rates. Once again, I wish this project every success and blessing for our city, our country, our nation, and our civil aviation sector. I find it particularly useful to underline the following point: Istanbul Airport is not merely a transportation hub; it is, in itself, a massive on-site economy.”
Erdoğan stated that 102,000 people work at Istanbul Airport and that more than 1,100 commercial businesses operate there, saying, “The contribution of Istanbul Airport, whose employment impact exceeds 300,000 people, to the Turkish economy corresponds to approximately 2.2 percent of our national income, or 24.2 billion dollars.”
President Erdoğan continued as follows:
“While every 1 lira invested here returns to our economy as 5.6 billion, each person directly employed generates a workforce impact equivalent to five jobs across Türkiye. We project that by 2030, activities connected to Istanbul Airport will reach 472,000 jobs and 44 billion dollars in revenue. With the end of the wars around us and the restoration of peace in our region, our airport’s star will shine even brighter. Through the new investments we will implement in the coming years, we will continue to keep Istanbul Airport at the summit of global aviation. While those who criticized this visionary project by calling it ‘waste’ continue to waste their days with debates over names and party congresses, we will not refrain from bringing new investments and new projects to our country. Unlike those who thrive on conflict, we have a great deal of work to do.”
Saying, “Unlike those who turn every task they undertake into a mess, we have many more projects and investments to bring to our country,” Erdoğan added, “Unlike those who cannot see beyond the tip of their noses, we have great dreams and great goals for Türkiye. As long as Almighty God grants us life and health, we are determined to pursue these great dreams we have for our country.”
Wishing once again that the fourth main runway and the additional investments at Istanbul Airport would be beneficial, Erdoğan wholeheartedly congratulated everyone who contributed to these projects.
President Erdoğan grants takeoff clearance to the aircraft operating flight “TK1763”
During the program, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu and İGA Chairman of the Board Cemal Kalyoncu each delivered a speech.
Following his speech, President Erdoğan was presented with a gift by Minister Uraloğlu.
Cemal Kalyoncu and İGA Deputy Chairman of the Board Mehmet Cengiz also presented President Erdoğan with a gift to commemorate the day.
After the presentation of the gifts, Deputy President of Religious Affairs Hafiz Osman Şahin offered a prayer.
President Erdoğan held a radio conversation with the captains of the aircraft operating the Istanbul–Helsinki flight numbered “TK1763.”
One of the captain pilots, Cemile Nur, stated that they felt great pride and happiness at the commissioning of Istanbul Airport’s fourth runway and wished the new runway well. She said that they were ready to carry out the first takeoff from Istanbul Airport’s fourth runway in order to proudly fly the crescent-and-star flag around the world.
President Erdoğan then granted the aircraft takeoff clearance, saying, “Runway 09, wind 0.50 to 15 knots, takeoff approved. Have a good flight.” Afterwards, President Erdoğan and his accompanying delegation cut the opening ribbon.
The program was attended by Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Aşkın Bak; Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran; the President’s Chief Foreign Policy and Security Adviser, Ambassador Akif Çağatay Kılıç; Binali Yıldırım, a member of the AK Party’s Founders’ Board and Chairman of the Council of Elders of the Organization of Turkic States; Istanbul Governor Davut Gül; İGA Istanbul Airport CEO Selahattin Bilgen; Istanbul Chamber of Commerce President Şekib Avdagiç; and many other guests.
