Following the construction of the Ordu-Giresun Airport, which is the first and only airport to be built on an artificial island in Turkey and in Europe, Turkey is set to build the second airport on reclaimed land between the coastal cities of Rize and Artvin, which are located in the Black Sea Region. Aydın Özen, Deputy General Manager in charge of infrastructural investments at the Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications, said around 36 million tons of stone were used in the construction of Ordu-Giresun airport, and they expect that 100 million tons of stone will be used to build the Rize-Artvin airport. According to Özen, technical work for the airport was initiated in October 2014. The airport will be constructed on reclaimed land that is between 26 and 32 meters in depth, stated Özen, emphasizing that there is no airport in the world built in such a deep coastal area, including Hong Kong and Kansai international airports that are around 10 to 20 meters in depth.