Türkiye's second biggest airport, Sabiha Gökçen, announced on Tuesday that Serhat Soğukpınar was appointed as its chief executive as part of a strategic collaboration between airport operator Malaysia Airports and Türkiye's IC Holding.
The partnership will pave the way for new opportunities for investments by IC Holding in the Asian region, the statement said.
Soğukpınar previously worked in airports in Türkiye's southern Antalya and capital Ankara, and oversaw numerous projects in the country and abroad while working at IC Holding.
The announcement came just a day after the official opening of the second runway, which will double the capacity of Sabiha Gökçen Airport.
Murad Bayar, CEO of IC Holding, highlighted the strategic significance of the partnership, indicating that it presents major opportunities for new investments in the Asian region and has the potential to enhance IC Holding's presence and influence in the geography.
Mohamed Rastam Shahrom, acting CEO of Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) Group, also expressed optimism about the collaboration.
"The partnership with IC Holding not only allows us to benefit from their extensive experience and network in airport operation but also holds great potential to expand our cooperation into different areas in the future," Shahrom noted.
According to a report on the local aviation news site AirportHaber, ICA, a subsidiary of IC Holding, has formed a 50% partnership with MAHB at ISG, the entity responsible for operating Sabiha Gökçen, leading to Soğukpınar's appointment as the CEO.
However, a source close to the matter told Reuters that discussions regarding shareholding are ongoing, and no final decisions have been made.
The statement by the ISG said Soğukpınar's appointment was a "significant part of the strategic partnership between Malaysia Airports Holdings and IC Holding."
Sabiha Gökçen, among the fastest-growing airports in Europe in terms of passenger numbers, serves a total of 162 destinations, including 122 international and 40 domestic routes, with a capacity of 41 million passengers.
The airport on Istanbul's Anatolian side served some 31 million passengers in 2022, up from about 25 million in 2021.
The January-November arrivals this year left the whole of 2022 behind, as Sabiha Gökçen reached a record passenger count of 34 million. It is expected to close the year at over 37 million, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Monday.
Following the opening of the second runway, part of an infrastructural upgrade worth $970 million, Sabiha Gökçen Airport, the third-busiest airport in Türkiye by passenger numbers, is envisaged to reach a capacity to serve over 85 million passengers a year.