iGA Istanbul Airport is Signed a Cooperation Agreement with Sichuan Airlines and Sichuan Airports

iGA Istanbul Airport, one of the world's most important global transfer hubs, continues to expand its "China Friendly Airport" initiative and develop international tourism activities with China every day. The cooperation agreement signed at iGA Istanbul Airport, with the participation of Sichuan Airlines and Sichuan Provincial Government Airports officials, marked an important step in this endeavor.

As part of the agreement, it was decided to hold regular meetings, share knowledge and experience, undertake joint aviation development and destination promotion activities, and implement an employee exchange program.

Speaking at the signing ceremony held at the iGA Lounge in the International Terminal of iGA Istanbul Airport, CEO Selahattin Bilgen stated that iGA Istanbul Airport considers China as one of its most important target markets. Bilgen stated, "We find the development of tourism between Sichuan Province and Türkiye, our increasing mutual trade, and the resulting increase in flights to be extremely important and valuable for Türkiye. In 2023, approximately 220,000 Chinese tourists entered our country through our airport. "Our goal is to continue increasing the number of passengers coming from China to Türkiye" he stated.

iGA Istanbul Airport CEO stated that they aim to reach 1 million Chinese tourists visiting Turkey within the next two to three years. To achieve this, they plan to increase flight routes and implement various methods to ensure accessibility for Chinese passengers.

In his speech, Bilgen stated, "We have made a conscious effort to introduce more flight routes and airlines to make Türkiye more accessible to the Chinese market. "When we first opened, we served our guests with only one Chinese airline. Despite the challenges faced by the tourism sector during the Covid-19 pandemic, we now have scheduled flights from six Chinese cities to iGA Istanbul Airport with a total of five airlines: Air China, China Southern, China Eastern, Sichuan Airlines, and Turkish Airlines," he explained.

Throughout and after the Covid-19 pandemic, which deeply impacted the global aviation industry, iGA Istanbul Airport demonstrated exemplary performance on a global scale with its efforts to promote tourism.

As a result of these efforts, in 2020, the airport earned the "China Friendly Airport" certification and became the first airport in the world to comprehensively implement the "China Friendly Airport" project.