Saleh Fareed
JEDDAH — Binali Yıldırım, Minister of Transport, Maritime and Communication, said that Turkey will be proud to repeat its experience of Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz Airport in Madinah in Saudi Arabia as the first airport in the Kingdom constructed and operated entirely by the private sector.
In his remarks at the 5th Jeddah Economic Forum, he shared the achievements in transport and communications in 2015 made by Turkey and said the ministry made great progress in many fields in 2015.
He announced the Turkish government is planning to build 8 airports in order to meet the big demand and has gained profits of over $25 billion from such mega projects.
The minister said the number of passengers carried by airlines in 2015 reached 181 million, achieving an upsurge of more than 10 percent compared to the previous year. With the establishment of new rail lines, the number of passengers in rail transportation will continue to rise as well.
He also pointed out that boasting a 150-million passenger annual capacity, the Istanbul airport is expected to become one of the biggest in the world and the biggest air transfer hub in Europe. The airport will also act as a focal point for Turkey's flagship carrier Turkish Airlines, which is one of the fastest growing airline companies in the world, flying currently to over more than 200 international destinations.
