TURKEY has agreed that Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) will continue to operate the Istanbul Sabiha Gokchen (ISG) International Airport.

During their bilateral meeting today, Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan conveyed the agreement to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

“He (Erdogan) agreed that MAHB should continue operating the ISG as the government is 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 Turkey president.

Anwar, who is in New York to attend the 78th United Nations general assembly, said Turkey strongly believes MAHB is best suited and capable of running ISG operations.

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

Fully owned by MAHB, the airport is the sixth busiest gateway in Europe, with passenger numbers reaching 25 million in 2021, which is 70% of the pre-pandemic level.

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

Malaysia is Turkey’s largest trading partner in Asean with a trade volume of US$4.7 billion (RM22.05 billion) last year, a 35% growth from 2021.

Malaysia’s total export volume to Turkey last year reached RM17.4 billion. The exports largely comprise 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 RM2.9 billion, covering petroleum products, jewellery, iron and steel products, chemicals and chemical products, textiles, clothing and footwear. – Bernama, September 21, 2023.