Gazipasa - Airport near Alanya opened in 2010!

  • Written by Portal Editor

Gazipasa - Could it finally become reality and regular international flights between Alanya-Gazipasa and Europe, at least initially from some airports, be possible?

Too often, it has been said that all the conditions have been met: the runway has been extended, the operating license for scheduled flights has been granted, and the approach angles have been clarified. Gazipasa Airport (IATA code: GZP) was built in 1999, but its runway is too short for many common passenger aircraft.

Gazipasa - Flight cancellations possible due to wind

The opening of Gazipasa Airport, originally planned for 2008, was postponed several times. Test operations began in 2009, and domestic flights to Istanbul began in July 2010. International flight operations from the Netherlands began in May 2011, although there were long doubts as to whether Gazipaşa Airport was even suitable for this purpose.

A press report before the opening predicted frequent flight cancellations, as takeoffs from Gazipaşa were only possible towards the sea. If the wind blows from the mountains at more than 30 km/h, international flights could not take off, and passengers would then have to be taken to the airport in Antalya on a three-hour bus ride.

We have reported on Gazipasa story several times, and we still remember the "initial fittings" of the airport buildings 10 years ago. Even then, there were conveyor belts and check-in computers at the terminals, which disappeared two years later. Will this never-ending story finally lead to real flight operations?

And this is ultimately (almost) ironic. Planning and reality sometimes run in almost opposite directions. Let's just take Berlin Airport or Stuttgart Central Station as examples. While these are somewhat more complex major projects than Gazipaşa Airport, they are not significantly more aligned with the plan.

Gladbeck has been Alanya's official twin city for about 20 years, with annual exchange visits and other activities taking place in the twin cities. It's no wonder, then, that they help and support each other, even when facing economic difficulties. For example, the mayor of Gladbeck, as chairman of the North Rhine-Westphalia-Turkey Parliamentary Group, personally lobbied Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan to finally officially open Alanya-Gazipaşa Airport when the expansion threatened to fail.

Opening Ceremony at Alanya-Gazipaşa Airport

Alanya-Gazipaşa Airport has just been officially opened. "We are happy and pleased that this has brought our two twin cities even closer together," declared former mayor and city council member Wolfgang Röken at a celebration marking the first direct flight operated by "Sun Express" from Germany to Alanya-Gazipaşa Airport. Until now, tourists had to travel approximately 140 kilometres by bus after their flight to get from Antalya Airport to Gladbeck's Turkish twin city, Alanya. Depending on the tour operator, the buses took three hours or more to reach their destination, Alanya. In the future, the journey will be reduced to just half an hour via the new expressway from Gazipasa Airport through the mountains.

Alanya's mayor, Hasan Sipiaoğlu, also expressed his satisfaction and delight at this official opening. The tourist resort of Alanya will thus be made future-proof and will benefit enormously in other areas as well. Sipiaoğlu thanked Röken for his strong support for the airport's opening.

Congratulations and greetings from the twin city of Gladbeck

Röken, who conveyed personal congratulations from the twin city of Gladbeck, participated in a "maiden flight" with the airline Sun Express. Starting in the 2013 winter season, Alanya will be served non-stop from Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, and Leipzig. He congratulated Managing Director Paul Schwaiger on his entrepreneurial decision and Sipiaoğlu on the success of his years of efforts. "Who else but Sun Express, a German-Turkish joint venture owned equally by Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, is better suited to build this new bridge between Germany and Alanya," said Röken. "We are pleased that we no longer have to send passengers from North Rhine-Westphalia to Maastricht or Amsterdam so they can fly directly to Alanya."

Alanya - Gazipasa Airport makes this possible.

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