Türkiye on Saturday inaugurated its brand-new Çukurova International Airport in the southern province of Mersin with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The new air hub marked the 58th airport for the country, which significantly bolstered its infrastructure in recent years, and is expected 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 exports of the region," Erdoğan said during the opening ceremony.
"It will facilitate the global distribution of products from industrial and trade zones such as the Mersin Port, the Mersin and Adana Organised Industrial Zones, Iskenderun Bay Industrial Facilities and the Yumurtalik Free Zone," he added.
The president further said that both Adana and Mersin residents would soon recognize the value of this significant investment.
Providing information on the airport's location, Erdoğan noted that it is situated some 35 kilometers (21.75 miles) from Adana and 40 kilometers from Mersin, meaning right in the middle of both cities.
"Our airport has easy access from Mersin and Adana via both the D400 road and the highway. It will serve over 5 million people with its proximity to Osmaniye and Niğde, along with Adana and Mersin," he said.
The president, in his speech, also noted that Çukurova International Airport has an annual passenger capacity of 9 million with a terminal area of 110,000 square meters.
Its main runway stretches 3,500 meters in length and 60 meters in width, while the airport’s apron has a capacity for 48 aircraft. The total indoor area of the superstructure facilities is 214,180 square meters (2.31 million square feet).
Erdoğan also recalled they have heavily invested in airport transportation over the past 22 years, noting that the number of active airports increased from 26 to 58 over this period and that they aim to increase this number to 61 in 2053.
He also highlighted the expansion of highway networks over the same period and noted that while there was no high-speed train line in 2002, they currently have a line that is 2,032 kilometers long.
Çukurova Airport was developed under the build-operate-transfer scheme, the president said, adding that the project is expected to generate 297.1 million euros ($324.6 million) in rental income over 25 years.
"Our airport will make significant contributions to the trade, tourism, agricultural production and economic life of all of Çukurova and will directly and indirectly provide employment for approximately 3,000 people," he noted.
