Malaysia Airports asks for Istanbul airport’s third terminal and second runway to be handed over

Previous CAPA reports have pointed out the way that several operators have arranged airport concession periods to be extended on account of the pandemic, or have taken other measures.

In the latest twist, MAHB, the Malaysian state airport operator which owns and operates an asset at Istanbul - the Sabiha Gökçen airport in the eastern (Asian) part of the Turkish city - has asked the government there to hand over a new terminal and a new runway that it took responsibility for, at an appropriate juncture.

In this instance the circumstances are more complex, because the request is bound up with attempts to seal a wide-ranging free trade deal between Malaysia and Turkey.

But at the heart of the matter are attempts by operators to ensure that they maximise government help to escape the clutches of the COVID-19 pandemic, while ensuring that those operators continue to exercise their full control over assets that are concessioned to them - or, as in this case, owned.