IGA's 2025 Sustainability Report, covering its environmental, social and operational initiatives, has been published. The report examines Istanbul Airport's activities under the headings "The future of mobility," "The integrity of the environment" and "Creating value for people."
The report also covers initiatives in operational resilience, digitalization and people-centered transformation. As part of a double materiality assessment updated in line with the European Sustainability Reporting Standards, nine priority topics were identified based on the views of employees, passengers and other stakeholders.
Solar plant met 54% of electricity needs
IGA's Eskişehir Solar Power Plant, commissioned in August 2025, has an installed capacity of 240 megawatts. During the final five months of 2025, the facility generated enough electricity to meet 54% of Istanbul Airport's electricity needs for the year.
The plant has the capacity to meet the airport's entire annual electricity demand and is expected to prevent an average of 105,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year. IGA is targeting an absolute emissions reduction of 45% by 2030 and 73% by 2040 compared with the 2019 baseline, with the goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.
The company used 1,066,892 cubic meters of reclaimed water in 2025. Reclaimed water accounted for 42% of total water consumption, meeting all of the airport's garden irrigation needs.
Istanbul Airport served 84.4 million passengers
Istanbul Airport served 84.4 million passengers in 2025. During the same period, 549,300 flights were operated and cargo volume reached 2 million tonnes.
Flights were operated from the airport to 344 destinations, while cargo services provided connections to more than 150 destinations. Work was carried out to increase operational capacity through independent triple-runway operations, launched in April 2025.
The ROCAT solution was deployed as part of the HERON project, which aims to improve air traffic management. The system enables more efficient planning of traffic flows based on the time aircraft occupy the runway, with the aim of increasing runway capacity and reducing aircraft approach times and flight distances.
Work continued under the KAIROS project to integrate artificial intelligence-based weather forecasting models into operations. The A-FOD system was used to detect, with the support of artificial intelligence, foreign objects on runways and aprons that could pose a risk to aircraft. Sensors monitoring the fill levels of the containers used to collect these objects were installed.
Business continuity and climate adaptation efforts
IGA Istanbul Airport received an ISO 22301 Business Continuity Management System certificate. A team of 404 personnel and 180 vehicles was assembled for operations during the 2025-2026 winter period.
Under the Istanbul Airport Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan, carried out in cooperation with TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center, vulnerability analyses of critical infrastructure continued based on medium- and long-term climate projections.
Approximately 20,000 saplings planted
Approximately 20,000 saplings were planted in 2025 as part of environmental efforts. The 11,700 cubic meters of silt soil excavated during runway construction was reused as planting medium and in landscaping projects.
Waste management and zero-waste training was provided to 5,058 people, including airport employees, public-sector personnel and employees of third-party companies working at the airport.
IGA's workforce increased by 10.2% from the previous year to 9,907 employees. Employees received an average of 30.3 hours of training, while women accounted for 30.34% of the total workforce.
Bilgen: Sustainability is part of decision-making processes
Selahattin Bilgen, chief executive officer of IGA Istanbul Airport, said sustainability had become a fundamental competitive factor in the growth and transformation of global aviation.
Bilgen said Istanbul Airport's ability to manage increases in passenger and flight numbers simultaneously with capacity investments, operational efficiency, service quality, technology and sustainability had strengthened the airport.
Bilgen said they regarded sustainability as an integral part of their corporate culture and decision-making processes. He noted that, as global aviation grows, transformations such as climate change, geopolitical uncertainties, supply chain problems and the growing need for capacity must be managed simultaneously.
Bilgen said IGA had reduced its Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 27.8% compared with the 2019 baseline, adding that they were progressing toward the goal of becoming the first mega hub to meet all of its electricity needs from renewable sources. Bilgen said they would continue contributing to the aviation sector's sustainability transformation together with stakeholders in the coming period.
