Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen Airport on the metropolis’ Anatolian side, is set to enable planes to take off and land from its existing two runways as of 2024 after both runways become operational at the same time, Mehmet Nane, chairperson of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said Tuesday.

Delivering a speech at the IATA event in Istanbul, Nane, who is also the vice chairperson of Turkish low-cost carrier Pegasus, said that after the second runway at the airport becomes operational, the first runway will be taken into maintenance and the two runways would be functional in 2024.

CEO of Sabiha Gökçen Airport Berk Albayrak said earlier in June that they anticipate the opening of the new runway at the end of the year or within the next year at the latest.

In September 2022, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that hopefully the second runway will be finished in May and a new terminal building was also to be built.

IATA Director General Willie Walsh, meanwhile, also speaking at the event, stated that the challenges faced by airline companies are more manageable than in 2020, although the rise in jet fuel prices will have an effect on demand.

Airlines are currently recovering from the huge COVID-19 fallout but face fresh turbulence from rocketing inflation and rising oil prices. A return to profitability appears within reach for airlines in 2023, according to the IATA.

Sabiha Gökçen Airport, Türkiye’s second busiest airport after Istanbul Airport located on the city’s European side, served a total of 11.4 million domestic and 11.2 million international passengers between January and September, according to the latest data by the State Airports Authority Directorate General (DHMI). While the figure was down by 5% on domestic routes, it nearly doubled on international routes.

More than 70.1 million passengers traveled through Istanbul Airport and Sabiha Gökçen Airport in the first nine months of this year, the data showed.

The two airports served 483,327 planes – including overflights – in the nine-month period, up 37% year-over-year.