Speaking at the opening ceremony of Istanbul Airport’s fourth runway, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the new runway and additional investments would strengthen the airport’s global connectivity.
Erdoğan said passenger traffic at airports in Türkiye exceeded 167.5 million in the first eight months of 2026. He noted that this figure was nearly twice Türkiye’s population.
Investments in Istanbul
Erdoğan announced that total investments in transport and infrastructure in Istanbul had reached 2.12 trillion liras at current prices, adding that 604.4 billion liras of this amount had been allocated to air transport.

Erdoğan described air transport as one of the world’s most advanced sectors. He said the number of operational airports in Türkiye had risen from 26 to 58 over the past 24 years.
Erdoğan said Türkiye had become a country with strong domestic capabilities, influence in its region and respect around the world, adding that this transformation had been achieved together with the people.