KUALA LUMPUR
Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad has announced that its expects the number of passengers traveling through Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen International Airport -- which it operates – to increase by 15 percent this year.
Managing Director Badlisham Ghazali told reporters at the Global Airport Development 2015 conference in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday that the projected figure was a conservative one based on current passenger traffic of nearly to 24 million, Malaysia’s national news agency Bernama reported.
"There's huge potential for this particular airport," Ghazali stressed.
Malaysia Airports Holdings has invested more than 520 million euros ($586.5 million) in Sabiha Gokcen since purchasing its operating rights in 2008.
The operator completed its acquisition of the airport’s shares earlier this year by buying out minority holders, after increasing its shares from 20 percent to 60 percent last year.
Sabiha Gokcen was ranked as the world’s fastest growing airport in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013, according to the airport’s website.
The total number of passengers at the airport increased by more than 25 percent between 2013-2014.
According to Airports Council International, its traffic rose by 17.2 percent this January, while that across the Malaysian company’s airports worldwide increased by 22 percent during the same period.
Among the airlines operating regular flights from Sabiha Gokcen are Turkish firms such as Turkish Airlines and Pegasus, and foreign ones including Qatar Airways and Germanwings.
