Earlier this week airports and airlines from across the globe touched down at iGA Istanbul Airport for Routes World 2023, which was held in the Turkish capital.
The event saw iGA Istanbul ‘s recently appointed acting CEO, Selahattin Bilgen, open the show on Sunday 15 October explaining that despite being the busiest airport in Europe for the third consecutive year (with 77 million passengers expected to pass through the airport in 2023), the air transport hub has ambitious plans to develop further increasing terminal capacity, constructing an additional runway and planning an airport city. The airport’s development plans are in line with Turkiye’s tourism campaign to promote “Istanbul as the new cool.”
“Istanbul has always had potential,” said Bilgen. “But we needed to make sure the message was out there and being shared. The airport has been integral in being that catalyst for change and in showcasing what’s available in Istanbul and around the country so that even those transferring through the airport are inspired to travel here.”
In part thanks to the huge success of Turkish Airlines in recent decades (the airline is one of the big air travel recovery success stories following the global pandemic and recorded a net profit of $233 million in Q1 2023), the airport is positioning itself as a hub for the region and a “superconnector” airport. It is located three hours flight away from 160 major destinations and five hours from 300 major destinations.
Building regional connectivity
The airport is also working alongside the local tourism authority Go Turkiye to build regional connectivity and a sustainable regional air transport strategy. As a major cruise ship hub, Bilgen also elaborated on the airport’s collaboration with Galataport Cruise Terminal to develop Istanbul Galataport Transfer – a 24/7 service to transfer cruise guests and their baggage seamlessly and in style between the airport and the cruise terminal.
Elsewhere during the show, which wrapped up on Tuesday 17 October, various announcements and route development plans were made including a new route to Kangerlussuag in Greenland from Aalborg Airport, Turkish low-fare carrier Pegasus discussed its plans to spread its wings further east and Norrkoping Airport in Sweden unveiled a strategic route development partnership with flyvbird to deliver low-cost, on demand regional air services. Enlightening panel sessions saw the likes of Royal Jordanian CEO, Samer Majali, discuss how the airline plans to develop its network and boost frequencies, while Conakry Airport’s CEO, Namory Camara discussed the challenges for Africa’s aviation sector and Airports Council Iternational (ACI) Europe’s Director General, Olivier Jankovec looked at the long-term forecasts for Europe’s airports and how changing business models, potential consolidation and new aircraft fleet will alter the aviation landscape as we know it.
Airport winners
Meanwhile, the Routes Awards, which were announced during an elaborate ceremony at Istanbul’s exquisite Kempinski Hotel on the banks of the Bosphorus, saw Newcastle International Airport declared the winner in the under 5 million passengers category. The airport was recognised for attracting four new airlines and 30 new routes in 2022.
Leon McQuaid, Director of Aviation Development at Newcastle Airport, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have won this prestigious Routes World award. A big thank you to all of our airline partners for nominating us, which is great recognition for all of our teams’ dedication and hard work to deliver for our airlines.”
Larnaka International Airport took the win in the 5-10 million passenger category, while Brussels Airport won the 10-20 million passengers category.
The overall winner for the night was Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in France, which as well as winning the airport award for over 20 million passengers Charles de Gaulle also came out as the overall winner in the top award of the night.
Other awards saw Spanish low-fare carrier Vueling voted best airline of the year, while Cape Town Air Access was awarded best destination for bringing public and private entities together to enhance air connectivity within the region. And Tatamo Rakotazafy, Head of Aviation Marketing at Ravinala Airports in Madagascar was named the Rising Star.
Bahrain announced as 2024 host
As this year’s Routes World drew to a close in Istanbul, the handover ceremony for next year’s event saw Bahrain International Airport officially announced as the host for 2024. Bahrain Airport Company’s (BAC’s) CEO, Mohamed Yousif AlBinfalah said: “We want to express our joy and gratitude in hosting this pioneering global event that will provide a platform for thousands of experts in the aviation sector to discuss the most important topics related to air transport, share experiences, and exchange opinions. It is also an opportunity to highlight the new passenger terminal, supporting BAC’s strategic goal of attracting more than 14 million visitors annually by adding new air routes and services.”
