TAV Airports, Türkiye's leading brand in the world in airport operations, has commissioned its new international terminal at Almaty Airport, the largest hub in Central Asia. Passengers arriving at the new terminal with Air Astana's London flight code KC664 were welcomed with gifts.
President of Kazakhstan Kasım Cömert Tokayev visited the new terminal before the first flight and received information from TAV Airports Chief Executive Officer Serkan Kaptan.
International traffic will be completely moved to the new terminal within two weeks, and the existing terminal will be modernized and continue to serve as a domestic terminal. Within the scope of the investment, a new VIP terminal was also built and the fuel system was renewed.
TAV Airports Chief Executive Officer Serkan Kaptan said, “Almaty is the largest passenger and cargo center in Central Asia. We are happy to commission the new terminal at the airport we purchased during the pandemic period in 2020. With the investment we completed in two years, we increased the passenger capacity to 14 million passengers annually, commissioned the new VIP terminal and renewed the fuel system in accordance with international standards.
“As one of the important stops of the modern 'Silk Road' and the Central Corridor, established from Asia to Europe and Africa, Almaty will continue to grow in both passenger traffic and cargo. When we took over, the number of destinations increased from 38 to 69, and the number of airlines using the airport increased from 24 to 35. "We are proud to contribute to bilateral relations with Kazakhstan, with which we have a deep-rooted historical and cultural past,"
Double digit growth in passenger and cargo
Almaty Airport served 9.5 million passengers last year, an increase of 32 percent. Passenger traffic increased by 30 percent in the first four months of 2024.
Scat Airlines also uses Almaty, which is the main base of the flag carrier Air Astana, as its headquarters.
The airport served 98 621 tons of cargo in 2023.
Almaty is Turkish Airlines' second largest cargo center after Istanbul. The airline operates 50 to 52 weekly flights to Almaty, including cargo flights.
The largest private airport investment in Central Asia
TAV Airports started operating Almaty Airport in 2021. It paid $422 million for the purchase and started investing $200 million for capacity increase in 2022.
For procurement and investment, the European Bank for Development and Reconstruction (EBRD), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) and the German Investment and Development Agency (DEG) provided financing of $450 million.
Service companies are also in Almaty
Along with the new international terminal, TAV Airports also moved its service companies to Almaty. TAV Technologies integrated its own software and hardware solutions into the terminal. ATÜ Duty-Free will provide service with two stores with a total area of 3400 square meters in departure and arrival. The terminal includes food and beverage concepts developed by BTA and two private passenger lounges to be operated by PrimeClass. Havaş will also take part in ground handling services.
With the new terminal, Almaty will become the first airport in the region to hold the EDGE Advanced certificate and will support the protection of the environment by establishing efficiency criteria in energy, waste and water management.
TAV Airports aims to become carbon-neutral in 2030 and reach the zero emission target by 2050 at the latest.
