Istanbul Joins the Top 10
Turkey’s ambition to be a global player on the aviation stage is evident with its plan to construct the world's largest airport.
The Istanbul airport system has moved up the rankings over the years and today the city is growing rapidly and with the construction of a new airport, Istanbul Ataturk Airport (IST), the future looks positive for Istanbul’s aviation sector. The city has always been a meeting point between east and west, providing opportunities for cultural and economic exchanges and now it can strengthen its position.
Using OAG’s Schedules Analyser and Traffic Analyser, we investigate the reasons behind the rising market and what the outlook is for the city.
In 2010, IST was ranked 43rd in the world for capacity but today it has rocketed to 12, making it the fastest growing airport. Turkey’s economic growth has fluctuated but can they continue to deliver growth at this pace?
Turkey’s ambition to be a global player on the aviation stage is evident as it has already began construction for a replacement for IST, due to open in 2017, with an eventual annual capacity of 150 million passengers. With 57 million passengers in 2014, the carrier expects to reach 70 million in 2018 when it moves to the new Istanbul Grand airport.
This opportunity can provide Turkish Airlines with more networks into the east and with this significant growth, Turkish also dominates the international scene but unlike the domestic market, the airline has increased their share of seats too, focusing on serving a high number of destinations.
Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW) was built to ease pressure at IST as out of Turkish Airlines 66 International destinations, all but nine are operated from SAW. Its share of the domestic market has grown since June 2012 and with their overlap on 23 of 30 domestic routes operated by Pegasus, this is a big indication of the significance of this airport. IST is now a major hub in its own right and offers almost as many seats under the Star brand as Frankfurt International Airport (FRA), ultimately strengthening its position with Star Alliance.
Istanbul’s geographic location acts as a major advantage and although for years this has been the case, now we are starting to see a fresh approach to make the most of it. How far will the success of Turkish Airlines disrupt the world’s largest airline alliance? And what will be the outcome of the new-look IST airport? Will there be a stronger association with the Middle East or will it fail to live up to its potential?
Click here to download OAG's full report on Istanbul.