The İGA Airport Operations, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board, H. Kadri Samsunlu evaluated the first six month of the Istanbul Airport via IGA Airport September newsletter. H.Kadri Samsunlu said: " Since the day we have started to provide full capacity services, we have continued our efforts focused on trust and satisfaction without slowing down. We have brought Istanbul Airport, one of the most important projects launched for the future of our country, to a very important point thanks to intensive efforts. Everyone involved in this project had the same dream; building the world`s largest airport in Turkey in a short period of 42 months from scratch ... we have managed this goal with great devotion. Add to this the fact that the relocation process, which was planned to be completed in 45 hours and concluded in just 33 hours – 12 hours earlier than the scheduled time – is also a sign to the aviation sector. We are about to leave behind a six-month period which began on 6 April when we started providing services. During this period, Istanbul Airport has come into prominence as the largest hub in the region,as “Turkey`s gateway to world”, thanks to its strategic location between East and West and having 130 destinations to 60 countries, just three hours away.

Since the day we started to provide services at full capacity we have welcomed nearly 32 million passengers and carried more than 21 million pieces of luggage. In less than six months, we have operated nearly 200,000 flights. Currently, a total of 70 airlines operate scheduled flights at Istanbul Airport, including eight foreign airlines which began to fly from Istanbul Airport for the first time. Two additional new foreign airlines, one each in October and November, will also launch operations from the airport for the first time. Significantly, with the full capacity of Istanbul Airport, airlines from different continents, including Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Far East, have doubled the number of available frequencies.

I have to underline that I believe that we will be one of the biggest hubs with an annual capacity of 200 million passengers and over 300 destinations. Global aviation is growing rapidly and Istanbul Airport offers exceptional opportunities to meet this growth. Our goal is to be the first choice of airline companies around the world…

We are proud of the contribution that our airport is giving to our country, which has broken new ground in many areas with its technology, design and passenger experience. Istanbul Airport will provide a great added value to Turkey`s economy with its current size and promised opportunities. It will accelerate Turkey’s goal to be among the world`s top 10 economies.

For the comfort of our passengers, every detail was considered in our airport. More than 5,000 passengers have become members of İGA PASS special passenger program. In addition to this, İGA Lounge, İGA Fast Track and İGA Buggy services have been enjoyed by nearly 400,000 passengers. In addition to our private passenger services, we also try to provide a unique experience to those who prefer our airport for our Duty Free and food and beverage areas. In our Duty Free areas, a total space

of 54,000m², we have 90% occupancy, mostly with worldwide brands. In our 34,000m² food and beverage areas, we cater to the needs of our passengers with many store options ranging from international cuisine to local and traditional tastes. Additionally, we offer world-class competitive applications to domestic and foreign brands with our 41,000m² advertising space. With the digital advertising product planning of 4,000 m², which includes the world`s largest indoor LEDs, we also take technological applications to the highest level and increase in efficiency. We are currently working on the goal of transforming the journey experience into high satisfaction. Robots are ready to serve our passengers at Istanbul Airport, which we designed with future technologies in mind. As Istanbul Airport, we aim to be an IT innovation centre in terms of technological developments.

In addition to our works on technology, we are aiming to put our third runway into service within the first six months of 2020, reducing taxi times by 50% and making us the first in Turkey, and second in Europe, capable of operation with three independent runways. In addition to protecting and increasing the value we created, we are also aware that our biggest responsibility is to make it sustainable.

The first point of contact with our country is when visitors set foot in Istanbul. As Istanbul Airport, with the awareness of carrying the passenger satisfaction to the highest point and turning the time spent at the airport into a unique experience, we optimise all our physical and technological infrastructure.

Taking into consideration the transfer routes we have positioned Istanbul, which has a strategic location, as a very attractive centre for transit flights between the USA and the Middle East, Central Asia and North India. Considering internationally, thanks to Turkey’s glorious history, important historical monuments and summer tourism, many domestic and foreign tourists disperse in the domestic market from Istanbul Airport. Istanbul Airport, the biggest investment of our republic history

to date, is a major milestone for Turkey’s economy with its current size and promised opportunities. Istanbul Airport, which is home to the world, is looking forward to welcoming both its new airlines and millions of guests to be part of the experience.”