Speaking at a press conference in İstanbul on Tuesday, Birdal said that over 50.5 million people flew between domestic terminals throughout the country, recording a 22.5 percent increase compared the preceding year, which he attributes to economically priced air travel opportunities. He also said the number of passengers who flew domestically in 2010 has increased almost fivefold since 2002. Turkey’s international terminals also experienced growth, hosting almost 52.2 million passengers with a 17.9 percent year-on-year increase in 2010, Birdal added. In terms of cargo throughput last year, Birdal said over 2 million tons were carried, up 16 percent compared to the previous year. “With these numbers, DHMİ’s profits for 2010 are expected to register at TL 766 million,” he noted.

The DHMİ president also spoke about expectations for 2011 air travel, saying the total number of passengers expected to use Turkey’s airports this year is 119.8 million.