On his visit to the Istanbul New Airport construction site, Transportation, Maritime Affairs and Communications Minister Ahmet Arslan said the project will provide job opportunities for approximately 225,000 people in 2025, and that the contribution of the airport to the Turkish national economy will be around 4.9 percent of GNP (Gross National Product).Minister Arslan paid a visit to the project area of the airport to make on-site examinations. He received detailed information on the latest status of the construction works, and later met with the press to evaluate the contribution Istanbul New Airport will make to the Turkish economy in the long term.
According to the "Istanbul New Airport Economic Impact Analysis" report prepared by independent think tanks and consulting institution the Istanbul Economy and Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM), Istanbul New Airport will provide significant contributions to the Turkish economy both directly and indirectly. According to analyses based on optimistic and pessimistic scenarios, it is predicted that the employment opportunities provided by the airport will total 225,000 people directly and indirectly in 2025. It is also estimated that the additional household income, which will be increased thanks to the airport, will reach $4.4 billion, and its contribution to Turkey's national economy will reach 4.9 percent of national product.
National income will approach TL 73 billion in 2025
According to the global growth scenario that emerges when the direct, indirect and trigger effects specified in the report are combined, the airport's contribution to the economy is estimated to reach TL 73 billion ($20.1 billion), which corresponds to 4.9 percent of the national income in 2025. The additional household income generated by this ecosystem is foreseen to reach TL 7.8 billion.
Regarding the airport, which is 40 percent completed, Arslan said it has the potential to become one of the driving forces and even the most important symbols of Turkey's next 50 years of growth, as supported by scientific studies and reports. Pointing out that by 2025 the airport will provide up to 225,000 job opportunities and its contribution to the national economy will reach 4.9 percent of the national income, Minister Arslan said this rate clearly outscores Schiphol and Charles de Gaulle airports, which have come to the fore with the contributions they make to the national incomes of their countries. "It is inevitable that Istanbul New Airport will strengthen the rivets connecting the world to Turkey and Turkey to the world, and have a positive impact on Turkey's qualification as both a bridge and a center," Arslan concluded.
The airport will serve 120 million passengers in 2025
The report, which evaluates the potential macro-micro economic and sociocultural impacts of the airport, its effects on the geopolitics and foreign politics of Turkey and the contributions of the airport to the future of Istanbul, states that Istanbul's new airport may exceed the economic data that has been projected so far. If the dynamic development of the aviation industry and its compliance with global competition is sustained, the air traffic that starts and ends in Turkey is estimated to grow 5.2 percent per annum. According to the analysis, the same estimate is valid for domestic airline and cargo services. Under these circumstances, it is estimated that the new airport will serve 120 million passengers in 2025. While 69 percent of these passengers are expected to be international travelers, the remaining 31 percent are expected to be composed of domestic air traffic.
Tourism revenues to increase
When the first phase of Istanbul's new airport is completed, it will have a capacity for 90 million passengers. Taking into consideration the fact that per capita expenditure in tourism the sector exceeds $700, the share of the expenditures by these passengers is expected to be above $7 billion, even if 10 percent of them visit Turkey as tourists.