The fourth runway at Istanbul Airport and additional investments will make major contributions to the major air hub's global connectivity, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Friday, addressing the runway's opening ceremony.
Air passenger traffic across Türkiye in the first eight months of 2026 topped 167.5 million, nearly twice the country's population, he noted.
"In Istanbul alone, we have made a total of 2.12 trillion Turkish liras ($43.5 billion) in investments in transportation and infrastructure at current prices, including 604.4 billion Turkish liras ($12.4 billion) in air transport," Erdoğan said.
Pointing to Türkiye's flight network, one of the world's most extensive, Erdoğan said that in the last 24 years, under Justice and Development (AK) Party rule, the number of active airports more than doubled from 26 to 58.
"Together with our nation, we have made a Türkiye that is strong at home, influential in its region, and respected around the world into a reality," he added.
Erdoğan said Türkiye would continue investing to keep Istanbul Airport at the forefront of global aviation.
He said the airport broke its all-time record on Aug. 30 with 1,787 flights, the highest daily figure seen in both Türkiye and Europe.
"They said planes wouldn't be able to take off from here, yet 1,787 aircraft landed and took off in just one day," he said.
Erdoğan also inaugurated the airport's first east-west concrete runway. The €890 million ($1.05 billion) runway is 2,820 meters (9,251 feet) long and 45 meters (147 ft) wide, raising the total number of runways to six, including four main runways.
Calling Istanbul Airport "a vast on-site economy in its own right," Erdoğan said airport-linked activities are projected to employ 472,000 people and generate $44 billion in revenue by 2030.
He added that Türkiye has invested 2.12 trillion Turkish liras ($43.45 billion) in Istanbul's transportation and infrastructure, including $12.4 billion in aviation.
Since 2002, Türkiye has increased its air transport agreements from 81 countries to 175, he said.
The country's international flight network also expanded from 60 destinations in 50 countries to 356 destinations across 133 countries.
