Türkiye inaugurates Çukurova International Airport

Türkiye's 58th airport, Çukurova International Airport, was inaugurated in the southern province of Mersin on Aug. 10, with a ceremony attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

In addition to passenger transportation, the airport will also have a multiplier effect on the exports of the region, Erdoğan said, noting that it will create 3,000 jobs.

"We will send products from industrial and trade zones such as Mersin Port, Mersin and Adana Organized Industrial Zones, Iskenderun Bay Industrial Facilities and Yumurtalık Free Zone to the whole world via here," he added.

The agricultural products produced in the Çukurova region will now be easily delivered to customers without delay, while the airport will facilitate businesses' access to wider markets, according to the president.

They have heavily invested in airport transportation over the past 22 years, Erdoğan said, noting that the number of active airports increased from 26 to 58 over this period and that they aim to increase this number to 61 in 2053.

Çukurova Airport was developed under the build-operate-transfer scheme with a total investment of 244.5 million euros.

The lease revenues from the airport are projected to amount to 297.1 million euros in 25 years.

The airport, which has an annual passenger capacity of 9 million with a terminal area of 110,000 square meters, is also expected to give a boost to tourism activity in the region.

Its main runway stretches 3,500 meters in length and 60 meters in width, while the airport's apron has a capacity for 48 aircraft.