New Terminal to Increase Sabiha Gökçen International Airport’s Capacity to 80 Million
The current passenger traffic through Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW) is projected to rise to 80 million passengers with the construction of a new terminal building, according to Alp Er Tunga Ersoy, the CEO of İSG.
At the moment, the airport can accommodate 41 million passengers and provides connections to 165 destinations, including 40 domestic and 125 international. Ersoy who spoke to reporters underlined that the new terminal is very crucial in terms of increasing the capacity and function of the airport. “The new terminal will be built between the two runways and be connected to the current terminal using a railway track. With this expansion the airport will be able to accommodate as many as eighty million passengers a year, Ersoy said.
Waiting on Approval from the Authorities
Ersoy added that İSG is waiting for the SSB approval for the construction of the terminal. This new building will add to the existing structures that the airport has been developing over the recent past.
The second runway, one of the components of this expansion, should achieve complete night use to enhance operational capacity. “When the second runway is fully operated, the number of aircraft handled per hour will rise from 40 to 65 aircraft,” Ersoy added.
A Growing Base for Low-Cost Airlines
Sabiha Gokcen Airport provides the main point for market-leading low-cost airlines Pegasus Airlines and AnadoluJet (AJet) and offers cheap flights to millions of passengers annually. With the expansion, the airport also expects to lure more international airline companies.
“Some of them have not yet released statements but we will start cooperating with Lufthansa in winter. We would like to have even more carriers when our capacity and facilities expand,” Ersoy added.
At the present time, the airport has partnerships with 47 airlines that are present in 55 countries. New partnerships are expected when the new facilities that will be developed are complete, thus enhancing the status of SAW as a strategic aviation centre in the region.
Investments Powering Growth
Ersoy also pointed out that İSG has invested a total of 544 million euros to date proving the development of the airport. It is worth noting that in 2024 it started 24 facilities for a total amount of 35 million euros. Of this 12 million euros was set aside to improve the luggage and handling systems to enable efficient operation and improve the experience of the passengers.
Passenger Traffic on the Rise
Total passengers have increased in the year 2024 at Sabiha Gokcen airport due to the increase in the number of people traveling via this airport. The airport has processed 19,8 mln passengers in the first half of the year, which is 18% more than in the same period of 2023.
This growth is the rationale for the need for the planned terminal and the expanded runway operations. Sabiha Gokcen expects that the new terminal will meet the growing need for both domestic and international flights, and strengthen its role in Turkey’s aviation market.
Improving Inter-Regional Access
The increased and advanced facilities at SAW will also help Istanbul become a leading tourist city in the world. The geographical location of the airport on the Asian side of İstanbul offers an opportunity to Istanbul Airport for both the low-cost airlines and the full-service carriers.
