Inspiring News for D-8 Civil Aviation: Turkey TAV leads Boutique Airports Business

Istanbul, Turkey | September 07, 2007 by D-8 Secretariat

After an encouraging development of a joint Egypt-Turkish cooperation of airport expansion in Alexandria which was covered in this website, another sparking news came from Turkish TAV (Tepe Akfen Airports) company that plans to expand her project to develop boutique airports. This small, but beautiful, “boutique” airport is a promising and potential business for D-8 in tourism businesses, since D-8 countries has many potential tourists objects such as islands, eco-tourism objects, coral-reef areas that need small airports that can be landed by small or compact airplanes.

In the first meeting of D-8 DGCA in Antalya, last June 2007, TAV was invited to make a presentation of their business and competencies to all D-8 DGCA. Turkey as the Chairman of D-8 DGCA on Civil Aviation is expected to promote more potential business in civil aviation, besides other programs such air security and training, as well as how D-8 DGCA can set their cooperation program in the future for mutual benefit of D-8 aviation communities.

“In the next five years part of our strategy will be to create boutique airports,” said TAV Executive Board Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dr. M. Sani Sener. TAV plans these airports to be low-cost airports in terms of investment and management expenses, but full of foreign passengers. The company began to implement this concept with the recent opening of Batumi Airport in Georgia. TAV is now planning to apply the same strategy to the Antalya Gazipasa Airport, Turkey.

TAV Airports Holding has experiences and accumulated knowledge in managing airports. With the creation and development of boutique airports in Turkey and in the region, the company wish to provide a way to create new international flight destinations.

Under the terms of the contract TAV will pay $50,000 a year in rent and remit value added tax (VAT) and 65 percent of its profits to the Turkish government over the next 25 years.

The Antalya Gazipasa Airport was completed in 1999. At present, it has an annual capacity for 500,000 passengers. The size of the terminal building is 2,144 square meters and the car park has a 105-car capacity. Gazipasa is located 180 kilometers from Antalya and only 15 kilometers from the resort town of Alanya. At present the area is served by Antalya International Airport. Although attempts have been made in the past, serious investment is needed to improve the existing airport. When the airport is modified, it will serve Alanya, Kemer, Side and Manavgat.

TAV began in the civil aviation sector with the goal of providing “ten airports in ten years.” At present TAV operates airports in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, and in Tbilisi and Batumi in Georgia.

For forty years starting in 2008 TAV will also operate Habib Bourguiba airport at Monastir and is building and airport in Enfidha, Tunisia, which will open in 2009, as the Turkish Daily News reported.

Read Also

• Good News for D-8 Civil Aviation: Turkey becomes business jet center
• Good News for D-8 Civil Aviation Cooperation
• Success in Isfahan 2nd Meeting to have MOU and TOR: Turkey will leads D-8 Civil Aviation Cooperation in 2007-2009
• Bangladesh: Prospect for Industry and Civil Aviation Business
• D-8 Civil Aviation Meeting Leads Cooperation between Garuda Indonesia and Turkish Airlines
• Nigeria is keen to take part in D-8 Civil Aviation Cooperation
• Indonesia to Host the 3rd Working Group on Civil Aviation and Directors Generals Meeting
• To the Pearl of the World, Isfahan, They Go to Develop D-8 Civil Aviation
• Pakistan Pro-Business Civil Aviation Policy 2008 is Promising for D-8 Cooperation
• Turkey’s TAV Wins Three Awards in Dubai