Turkey plans to open Istanbul's new airport on October 29, the anniversary of establishing the Turkish Republic. The airport is expected to transport about 200 million passengers as the four phases are completed.
In an article published in the Turkish newspaper "Sabah", the economic expert, Professor Kerem Alkin discussed the future of Turkish air transport in preparation for the opening of the new Istanbul airport and the global developments in this sector.
The
number of middle classes in the world is growing at a very large rate. Many
international and UN-led research shows that the middle-class population will
increase by 1.7 billion by 2030 to about 5.3 billion people worldwide, the rich
class will reach 300 million, 100 million more than it is now. In contrast, the
poor and low-income segment will be reduced by 900 million to 2.3 billion,
while the poorest will drop by 150 million to 450 million.
This
means that large numbers of customers will require more air transport services.
"Turkey's massive boom over the past 16 years in the average standard of living has led to an increase in the number of air passengers, which is reflected in the number of passengers on international airlines, three times as high as it was, and at a rate of 15%. IATA forecasts for 2036 indicate that the number of passengers on international airlines, currently over 4 billion people, will increase by 3.6% to reach 7.8%.
The IATA forecasts show that the number of passengers traveling through Turkey's domestic and foreign flights will reach 200 million passengers, turning Turkey into the 9th most important aviation hub around the world.
"Turkey's financial revenues from air transport, which currently amount to $ 22.6 billion, will reach $ 40 billion by 2028 and $ 50 billion in 2036. It is also expected that air passenger numbers will increase through Turkey's internal and external routes between 2016-2036 to 120 million passengers per year. I think these forecasts alone show the validity of Turkey's decision to establish a world-class airport in Istanbul" Alkin said.
During
the first two years, the number of passengers through the Istanbul 3rd airport
is expected to reach 120 million, and too reach 200 million passengers upon
completion of its four phases. The aircraft will fly to 350 different
destinations from the same airport.
The
economic expert concluded that if Turkey launched an effective global tourism
campaign targeting the middle class, it could easily become the sixth most
preferred destination around the world and rise to third place if it competed
properly. Bringing its tourism revenues to $ 50 billion in the first phase and
exceeding $ 100 billion by 2030.