Istanbul Airport targets 85m passengers in 2024 - acting CEO

IGA Istanbul Airport's passenger numbers rose 18% this year to 76m and the hub is targeting 85m in 2024, acting CEO Selahattin Bilgen told Reuters on Friday, with discussions underway to add 11 more airlines by the end of next year. "We are currently in talks with 11 airlines. We want to bring them to our airport before the end of 2024," he said. "There are airlines from North America, the Far East and Central Europe." He said five of them were expected to be operating out of Istanbul Airport within the first six months of 2024. At a ceremony to mark the start of flights by Air China, Bilgen said Istanbul Airport was the third largest worldwide in terms of airlines served after Bangkok and Paris Charles de Gaulle, having a reached a landmark of 100 carriers. By that measure, Istanbul Airport will become the world's largest if the 11 airlines with which it is currently in talks agree to operate there, he said. On the issue of low-cost carriers, Bilgen voiced caution. "(They) can expand the market on one hand and harm competition on the other. That is why we are more selective and strategic about low-cost airlines," he said. Asked whether new borrowing was on the company's agenda to finance investments, Bilgen said its cash flow was strong enough currently but it may evaluate external borrowing if conditions are right, possibly through a eurobond issuance or project finance.<br/>