Green light from Turkey for MAHB to continue operating Istanbul airport, says Anwar

Turkey has agreed for Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) to continue operating the Istanbul Sabiha Gokchen (ISG) International Airport, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim says.

He said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had conveyed the agreement during their bilateral meeting today.

"He (Erdogan) agreed that MAHB should continue operating the ISG as they are satisfied with the success of the company in the first stage, and now they want to extend (operations), including building a longer runway," he said at a press conference after meeting with the Turkish president.

Anwar, who is in New York to attend the 78th United Nations General Assembly, said Turkey strongly believed that MAHB was best suited and capable of running the ISG operations.

Although the agreement to continue operations by MAHB had been announced, Anwar said it would go through the normal process by the relevant ministry.

"This tremendous support is also a vote of confidence in the Malaysian company to develop and manage the ISG," he added.

ISG, fully owned by MAHB, is the sixth busiest gateway in Europe, with passenger numbers reaching 25 million in 2021, or 70% of pre-pandemic levels.

At the meeting, which was also attended by Cabinet members from both parties, Anwar said they had discussed efforts to increase bilateral cooperation in terms of investment and trade.

Malaysia is Turkey's largest trading partner in Asean with a trade volume of US$4.7 billion (US$1=RM4.51) in 2022, a 35% growth from 2021.

Malaysia’s total export volume to Turkey in 2022 reached RM17.39 billion, largely comprised of palm oil, palm oil-based agricultural products, metal manufacturing, textiles, clothing, footwear, electrical and electronic products and palm oil-based manufactured products.

Total imports in 2022 stood at RM2.86 billion including petroleum products, jewellery, iron and steel products, chemicals and chemical products, textiles, clothing and footwear.