IATA Highlights Value of Aviation for Republic of Türkiye

Translation: IATA, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti için Havacılığın Değerini Vurguladı (pdf)

Istanbul - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released the Value of Air Transport study for the Republic of Türkiye, at the IATA World Financial Symposium and World Passenger Symposium in Istanbul hosted by Turkish Airlines. The report (pdf) quantifies the substantial benefits that aviation (including aviation-related tourism) generates in terms of jobs and economic activity in the country. Highlights from 2023 data show that aviation supports and facilitates:

• USD 82.4 billion of economic activity (total impact including wider supply chain, employee spending, and tourism activities), equal to 7.4% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
• 2 million jobs (total impact including wider supply chain, employee spending, and tourism activities), 53,000 of which are directly employed by airlines
• 7 million tonnes of air cargo

"Türkiye is a global aviation powerhouse. International passenger departures have surged by nearly 70% over the past decade, making Türkiye the world's seventh-largest market by passenger departures. Its airlines are driving regional and international connectivity, strengthening trade, tourism, and economic opportunity. Aviation already supports over 2 million jobs and contributes 7.4% to the nation's GDP. Continued prioritization of aviation as a strategic sector anchored in competitive costs, sufficient capacity, and leveraging the opportunities that Sustainable Aviation Fuel offers will be vital to sustaining Türkiye's leadership in global air transport," said Nick Careen, IATA Senior Vice President, Operations, Safety and Security.

Key priorities for Türkiye

To continue generating benefits from aviation, IATA outlines three key priorities for the country:

1. Infrastructure: As Türkiye makes significant investments in airport infrastructure and digitalization, it is critical to work with the industry to ensure cost competitiveness.
2. Capacity-Building: Ensuring a skilled workforce across all areas of aviation will enable Türkiye to fulfill its ambitious growth strategy.
3. Sustainability: Leveraging the opportunities that Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) offers will be key to achieving Türkiye's decarbonization goals. An IATA study highlights the potential to scale up sustainable biomass resources and invest in local SAF production to meet national targets and capture growing regional demand.

> Read the Value of Air Transport to Türkiye report (pdf)

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