Turkish Airlines has begun construction of eight new facilities around Istanbul Airport in Türkiye.
As part of an investment plan totaling approximately 100 billion Turkish lira, the airline will build the second-phase project of the SMARTIST cargo center, as well as a main catering facility, an engine maintenance center, hangars, an integrated e-commerce logistics hub, a data center, a flight training center, and a staff terminal building.
The hangars, integrated e-commerce logistics hub, and staff terminal building are scheduled for completion in 2026; the engine maintenance center in 2027; the flight training center between 2026 and 2027; SMARTIST and the data center between 2027 and 2028, when they are expected to be completed and put into operation.
The catering facility will be able to supply meals for more than 500,000 people per day. The engine maintenance center will become one of the largest maintenance facilities in Europe capable of handling Rolls-Royce engines, while the hangars will be able to accommodate simultaneous maintenance of up to 12 aircraft, thereby strengthening Istanbul Airport’s role as a key hub.
As a result, 26,000 new jobs are expected to be created in 2026, expanding significantly to 36,000 upon completion of all facilities. The economic ripple effect is projected to more than double, reaching 144 billion US dollars by 2033.
