ISG eyes 65 million passengers per annum by 2022
ISTANBUL: New runway and terminal are on the cards in Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport’s (ISG) proposed expansion plans as the airport in the Turkish capital gears up to handle 65 million passengers per annum by 2022.
ISG chief executive officer, Ersel Goral, said the single-runway airport serving international and domestic passengers in a terminal, currently has the capacity to handle 33 million passengers annually.
For this year, the wholly-owned Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd’s airport is expected to handle 31.2 million passengers, up by about five per cent from 2016.
He said ISG’s passenger traffic growth was estimated at about eight per cent next year and more than 10 to 20 per cent of traffic increase from 2019 to 2022.
“In view of this traffic growth, we need to expand,” he told Malaysian media here on the development of ISG on Monday.
Goral, who has helmed ISG since September this year, said the construction of the second runway was under way and expected to be completed end-2018.
The current single runway has the capacity to cater to 40 air traffic movements per hour and this could reach up to 80 movements with the completion of the second runway, he said.
“The increasing air side capacity alone is not enough also. In this regard, we need some growth for the terminal capacity as well,” he said.
Goral said the construction of second passenger terminal, which would be dedicated to handle domestic flights, would commence in
The increasing air side capacity alone is not enough also. In this regard, we need some growth for the terminal capacity as well. Ersel Goral, ISG chief executive officer
2020 and be finalised in 2022.
It would cost €100 million ( €1 = RM4.89) to build the new passenger terminal, he said.
“When the two terminals and the two runways are operational, ISG will have a total capacity of 65 milion passengers a year,” he said.
On the expansion plans following the building of a new airport in Istanbul, Goral said, ISG would still attract traffic volume due to its strategic location.
Goral said ISG was about 40 km to Taksim, the city centre, shorter distance compared to Istanbul Grand Airport, the third airport currently under construction.
He said ISG was situated in the proximity of key industrial zone, financial centre and a tehnology park.
“We believe that not only the airlines but also passengers are looking for more convenient … they prefer us,” he said.
Another airport in the Turkish capital is Istanbul Ataturk Airport. — Bernama