Due to an increase in demand, works at Istanbul's Sabiha Gökçen International Airport continue at full speed, Sabiha Gökçen Airport Senior Manager Ersel Göral said Saturday, adding that the second runway under construction will be operational in 2018.The construction of a new terminal will also start within the scope of capacity increasing the works, Görel said, underscoring that with the completion of the ongoing runways, traffic at the airport would increase by at least 20 percent in 2019.

Paying a visit to Istanbul Airports Correspondents' Association, Göral said they are experiencing capacity problems due to air traffic increasing into double digits and this problem will be solved by opening the second runway.

Pointing out that with the resolution of the issue, Sabiha Gökçen Airport will become an area of preference, Göral said they will increase traffic in the airport by at least 20 percent in 2019 compared to the current figures.

Göral also announced that Emirates will start daily flights to Sabiha Gökçen in the upcoming summer season, informing that with the new airport, new airline companies will also fly from Sabiha Gökçen Airport.

Turkish Airlines (THY) will also increase air traffic, Göral said, indicating that they are preparing for future requests. Göral added that the current capacity of 40 aircrafts per hour on one runway will reach 80 with the second runway, while the capacity of 33 million passengers per year will reach 41 million by the middle of next year.

"If this increase continues, even a terminal with a capacity of 41 million will not be enough for us in the short term. We are in talks with the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries in this regard," Göral said, noting that they are still considering demolishing the old terminal that is not in use right now and building a new terminal there.

"It is not clear yet, but we will demolish the old terminal. We will use the new building for domestic passengers. We will use the current one as an international terminal," he added.