IGA CEO Bilgen: “We plan to open the 4th runway, which will increase passenger capacity by 30 million, within one year”

IGA Airport CEO Selahattin Bilgen answered questions from BloombergHT Editor-in-Chief Açıl Sezen. Bilgen announced that Istanbul Airport broke the all-time European record in passenger and flight numbers in August and that the fourth runway, with a capacity of 120 million passengers, will open in August 2026.

European Records from Istanbul

Bilgen stated that in the first week of August they broke the European all-time record with 282,000 passengers and 1,697 flights in a single day. He reminded that last year the airport closed slightly above 80 million passengers, while the 2024 target is 84 million.

Impact of the Iran-Israel War

Bilgen noted that May and June were busier compared to previous years but still fell short of expectations. He underlined that the closure of regional airspace due to the Iran-Israel war in June negatively affected aviation for 2–3 weeks.

4th Runway to Raise Capacity to 120 Million

Bilgen stated that Istanbul Airport’s current passenger capacity of 90 million will rise to 120 million once the new runway is operational. “Our goal is to open the fourth runway, which will increase passenger capacity by 30 million, in August 2026,” he said.

Target: 121 Airlines

Touching upon IGA’s global airline partnerships, Bilgen said 116 airlines currently operate flights to Istanbul Airport and their goal is to increase this to 121. He also emphasised that landing costs at Heathrow are twice as high as in Istanbul, highlighting Istanbul’s strong position in the European market.

Plan to Improve Taxi Times

Bilgen pointed out that the airport’s size has both advantages and disadvantages, noting that they aim to reduce the average 15-minute taxi time by a few minutes.

$25 Billion Contribution to the Economy

Bilgen stated that Istanbul Airport contributes 3% to GDP and generates $25 billion in value. He added that the airport contributed over €1 billion to the state last year, including rent and additional payments, and that this figure is expected to exceed €1.1 billion in 2025.