From Nasriah Darus

ISTANBUL, Nov 2 (Bernama) -- Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB), which is involved in development of the new Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (ISGIA), is expected to take the airport to greater heights, making it a global premier airport for Turkey.

The new airport, which is another feather in the cap for MAHB, was built within 18 months, which was considered a "world record" and more so since it did not compromise on quality despite the short period.

MAHB's vast experience in managing 39 airports in Malaysia besides being involved in two projects in India and one in Kazakhstan was crucial in the success of ISGIA.

The project will benefit Turkey through contributing directly to the country's economy and tourism industry by flying in tourists. Tourism is the number one contributor to Turkey's revenue.

As the gates of the world, airports are symbolic of the globalised status of a country with millions of passengers passing through international airports every year. They travel for business, leisure and other reasons, bringing with them different languages, cultures and worldviews.

ISGIA, developed by a consortium in which MAHB was part of and opened on Saturday by Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, certainly has all the features to emerge as a world-class entry point for Turkey.

MAHB joined hands with GMR Infrastructure Limited of India and Turkey's Limak Group to develop, manage and operate ISGIA on a 20:40:40 basis.

GMR chairman G.M. Rao said the consortium, which consisted of a good combination of three leading companies, had incorporated each other's superior expertise in the project.

ISGIA, which chalked up the highest passenger growth rate between 2002 and 2007, handled 4.5 million passengers in 2007.

It is expecting 6.1 million passengers this year and more than 8.5 million passengers next year, with passenger traffic set to reach 25 million passenger by 2023.

The new airport involved an investment of 500 million euros and will cater for 10 million passengers annually.

The project was built under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) model.

In his speech at the opening ceremony, Erdogan expressed satisfaction with the project, saying the government would initiate a similiar concept encouraging foreign and Turkish firms to join forces to develop other airports in the country.

Malaysia's Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri said the international recognition and accolades that the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) had received throughout its 11 years of operation was testament to MAHB's ability to compete with other more established international airports in the world.

"I am proud to say that ISGIA is in very good hands with Malaysia Airports, and together, we will soar to greater heights," he said during the opening.

Abdul Rahim said the new airport launch reflected further success for MAHB in spreading its wings in the international aviation industry beyond Malaysian shores.

Besides being a shareholder in the consortium, MAHB is also involved in providing advisory and consulting services in the airport master plan and detailed design study, especially in operational readiness and airport transfer exercise.

MAHB is currently managing and operating 39 airports in Malaysia, comprising five international, 16 domestic and 18 short take-off and landing ports.

ISGIA is expected to start its commercial operations on Nov 9. The airport, which is on the Asian side of the bicontinental city, is named after Sabiha Gokcen, the world's first female combat pilot.

MAHB chairman Tan Sri Dr Aris Othman said the project was an important opportunity for the company as it was targeting to grow in the international arena.

"We are fully confident that the Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport of Turkey would be made one of the global airports of the first rank," he said.

He added that MAHB's consultancy arm, Malaysia Airports Consultancy Services, was continuously exploring other overseas opportunities to further expand its expertise and knowledge in airport management.

In his speech, Limak chairman Nihat Ozdemir said among the investment made by the consortium, a significant contribution was employment, one of the critical issues of the Turkish economy, with the creation of 10,000 jobs.

-- BERNAMA