Turkey’s Zafer Airport opens 18 months ahead of contract
Zafer Airport, Turkey’s newest international airport was formally opened by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on 25 November. Mott MacDonald acted as technical advisor on the project – the seventh Turkish airport the consultancy has worked on – for lender UniCredit Bank, providing traffic forecasting, commercial, aviation engineering and environmental services.
Turkish developer IC Ictas began construction in May 2011 and completed construction and commissioning 18 months ahead of contract and six months ahead of their own programme. The new airport has a Cat II code 4E 3,000m x 60m runway and a 20,000 sq m terminal building, providing a capacity of over 1.5 million passengers per annum. It is the latest Turkish airport to be delivered through the General Directorate of State Airports Authority public private partnership concession model and the first greenfield international airport developed as part of this scheme. The project finance facilities have 18 years tenure which is the current maximum allowed for Turkish infrastructure assets.
Positioned in Western Anatolia region of Turkey, Zafer airport is strategically placed to provide a development catalyst for this heartland area of Turkey as well as providing better access for nearly 0.5 million Turks from this region living overseas. The region has top quality thermal tourism facilities as well as cultural heritage dating back over 3,000 years. The region also supports the country’s leading producers of fine porcelain, carpets, marble and Turkish delight. The airport was developed in full compliance with International Finance Corporation social and environmental standards, essential given the rural nature of the site.
Mott MacDonald's project director Chris Chalk said: "20,000 people attended the airport opening, highlighting the regional support for Zafer’s development. The project has been developed by the private sector to deliver socio-economic benefits to the Western Anatolia region. The 18 months from ground breaking to opening are remarkable given the -20oC weather experienced at the time of roof erection.”
"Close collaboration between all parties contributed to this being a success. There were no serious injuries during the one million staff hours worked during construction of the airport. Mott MacDonald helped drive close community engagement creating opportunities for local employment. Post completion, 300 local jobs have been created which will rise to 700 by the middle of next year,” Chris added.
Scheduled flights have already commenced by Turkish Airlines to Istanbul Atatürk, with more routes opening before the end of the year.
Ends
Notes for editors
More images of Zafer Airport are available on our Cisionwire page at http://www.cisionwire.com/mott-macdonald
Media Enquiries:
Tom Smith
44 (0) 20 8774 2205
tom.smith@mottmac.com
Christina de Burgh-Milne
44 (0) 20 8774 3639
christina.deburgh-milne@mottmac.com
Lee Lodge
44 (0) 20 8774 2040
lee.lodge@mottmac.com
About Mott MacDonald
Mott MacDonald is a global management, engineering and development consultancy with more than 14,000 staff, £1 billion revenue and work in 140 countries for the public and private sectors. For 6 consecutive years the employee-owned company has featured in the Sunday Times 25 Best Big Companies to Work For survey. Mott MacDonald’s core business sectors cover buildings, transport, energy, water, environment, health, education, industry, oil and gas, communications and international development.
More information can be found at http://www.mottmac.com/
Tags:
