Antalya to reach 80mppa capacity: tourism, connectivity, ESG & DEI in concrete mixer – part one

When considering tourism in Türkiye, which is the world's fourth most visited country, one tends to think of the magnet that is Istanbul. But many of its coastal resorts, especially on the west and south coasts, have drawn increasing numbers of tourists over the past three decades - and many of them away from the Spanish resorts.

Antalya Airport is the main gateway to many of these Turkish resorts and is the third busiest airport in the country.

Now managed under concession by two of the leading lights in airport operations, Fraport and TAV (with that concession recently extended for another 25 years), the airport has embarked on an ambitious renovation and enhancement programme that will cater ultimately for 80 million passengers a year.

That is a very high figure to aim for when growth is expected to come mainly from tourists, and no one can say for sure that they will become an extinct species by the time the expansion works are complete. With that in mind, it is perhaps not surprising that two key lenders, European and Asian development banks, have included exacting environmental and governance clauses in their loan agreements - a portent for the future.

This is part one of a two-part report.