Çukurova International Airport, the gateway to the world for the Çukurova region covering Adana, Mersin, Osmaniye, Niğde, and Hatay, celebrated its first anniversary with a ceremony.

The Çukurova International Airport 1st Anniversary Celebration Ceremony was attended by Mersin Deputy Governor Faik Arıcan, Tarsus District Governor and Çukurova International Airport Civil Administrator Mehmet Ali Akyüz, DHMİ Çukurova International Airport Director Seracettin Yıldırım, KZV Airports Operations Deputy General Manager Göksu Güney, Çukurova International Airport Director Oğuz Oflaz, representatives of public institutions and organizations, airport stakeholders, and employees. Speaking at the ceremony, Oğuz Oflaz said, “We are excited and proud to celebrate the first year of Çukurova International Airport. This year represents not only the passage of time for us, but also the realization of a vision, hard work, and a dream,” evaluating the past year.

Çukurova International Airport Director Oğuz Oflaz said, "As Çukurova International Airport, we have an extensive flight network that extends from Cyprus to London, from Medina to Van, and from Jeddah to Trabzon with our direct flights. In short, we can now say that this region has its own sky. Çukurova International Airport, one of Turkey's new-generation airports strategically located, is undergoing rapid development in passenger and cargo transportation in line with the principles of accessibility, quality, sustainability, and digitalization. We entered the 2025 summer season with a very strong network structure in both domestic and international flights. On domestic routes, we operate regular flights to a total of 8 different destinations, including Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir, Antalya, Bodrum, Trabzon, and Van. On international routes, we serve a wide geographical area with direct flights from the Middle East to Europe. Germany-Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hannover, Cologne, Stuttgart, Munich, Nuremberg, and Hamburg; England-London, Netherlands-Amsterdam, Azerbaijan-Baku, Russia-Moscow, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) - Nicosia, Macedonia-Skopje, Montenegro-Podgorica, Albania-Tirana, Lebanon-Beirut, Saudi Arabia-Medina and Jeddah, Egypt-Sharm El Sheikh, United Arab Emirates-Dubai, we operate flights to a total of 22 international destinations in 13 countries. In addition, charter flights to the Middle East and Europe are also operated during the summer tourist season, particularly with additional flights organized during the Hajj and Umrah periods. Our collaboration with airlines such as THY, AJET, PEGASUS, SUNEXPRESS, CORENDON, AEROFLOT, AZERBAIJAN AIRLINES, AIR MONTENEGRO, AIR ALBANIA, SOUTHWIND, IRAERO, EUROWINGS, and many others is growing stronger. Our goal is to make Çukurova a strong hub for international connections," he said.

Over 30,000 flights were hosted in one year, and over 5 million passengers were welcomed.

Oflaz also shared the numbers from their first year of service, saying, "Our airport, which started serving air traffic on August 11, 2024, welcomed over 5 million passengers and more than 30,000 flights in its first year. This clearly demonstrates that Çukurova is increasingly strengthening its position in the international aviation network." Oflaz also touched on the topic of strategic growth in cargo and logistics, saying, "The Çukurova Region has the second highest population density in Turkey, as well as a strong agricultural, industrial, and port infrastructure. Our airport offers a strategic advantage with its proximity to ports, organized industrial zones, agricultural centers, and road networks. With the goal of leveraging this potential on the international stage, Çukurova International Airport is advancing toward becoming a key hub not only for passenger transportation but also for air cargo transportation. Thanks to our geographical location at the intersection of the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe, we are emerging as an international air cargo and logistics hub."

Oflaz also mentioned future projects, saying, "We are continuing to work intensively on adding new international destinations, making environmentally friendly infrastructure investments for Green Airport Certification, and developing digital transformation steps (mobile applications, automatic transit systems). In the coming period, we will commission our general aviation terminal, which will serve the business world, the healthcare sector, and private air transportation in particular. Private jets currently using the main apron will be served in this special area allocated to them with the opening of the new terminal. This development will significantly increase the level of quality and comfort in the private aviation segment. In addition, the heliport infrastructure, which is extremely critical for air ambulances and short-haul air transportation, is also ready. This structure will position the region not only as a hub for civilian passenger traffic but also as a central hub for emergency healthcare services, VIP transfers, and private flights. We are also planning services to enhance the passenger experience. In conclusion, all these developments will transform Çukurova International Airport into not just an airport but also a hub for regional development, further enriching the region's aviation ecosystem.

I am proud to say that we have reached this point today through strong cooperation between the public and private sectors, technical expertise, dedicated teamwork, and, most importantly, a shared belief. We see this success not as a destination, but as a harbinger of much greater goals.