Loading

Istanbul airports #1: Sabiha Gokcen growth to continue

Premium Analysis

This is Part 1 of a series looking at Istanbul's airport system as the Istanbul New Airport prepares to open.

Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW) has grown passenger numbers at an average of 25% pa since 2008, compared with 9% pa for the larger Atatürk Airport. Primarily a low cost airport (it is Europe's fifth biggest for LCC seats) and the main hub of ultra LCC Pegasus Airlines, SAW also serves as an overspill base for flag carrier Turkish Airlines. Both airports have capacity constraints.

The opening of Istanbul New Airport in Oct-2018, followed by the phased reduction of operations at Atatürk, will ease the pressure on Istanbul's airport system and give Turkish Airlines a new hub with vast expansion potential. It should also allow SAW to focus on its main role as a low cost point-to-point base.

After handling 31 million passengers in 2017, SAW is already well advanced with plans to increase its capacity to 63 million by 2020.

Become a CAPA Member to access Analysis Reports

This CAPA Premium Analysis Report is 1,645 words.
Become a CAPA Member

Our Analysis Reports are only available to CAPA Members. CAPA Membership provides exclusive access to in-depth insights on the latest developments in the aviation and travel industry, developed by our team of dedicated analysts located in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia.

Each report offers a fresh perspective on the latest industry trends and is available online or via the CAPA mobile app, with customisable alerts to help you stay informed and identify new business opportunities.

CAPA Membership also provides access to our full suite of tools, including a tailored selection of more than 1,000 News Briefs every week and comprehensive data and analysis on thousands of companies around the world.