Local companies ‘to be given priority in 10 bln euro construction for Istanbul’s third airport’

ISTANBUL

The senior management of IGA, the company established to construct and operate the third airport of Istanbul, said local companies will be preferred in 10-billion-euro construction for the airport. 

The Cengiz-Kolin-Limak-Mapa-Kalyon Consortium, a joint venture of Turkish companies, won a tender for the third Istanbul airport in May 2013, promising to pay the state 22.1 billion euros, plus taxes, over 25 years starting in 2017. 

Construction project will constitute some 10.24 billion euros of the total investment, company representatives said in a press meeting on Jan. 7. 

“We want this project to be a local project as much as possible so we’ll prefer local companies in construction works…From foreign designers who work in our projects, we have asked to make a marriage with Turkish companies,” said İGA CEO Yusuf Akçayoğlu, as quoted by Reuters. 

“Our construction site is one of the world’s largest sites now. We prefer to make cooperation with local companies in line with the needs of the project, “he added. 

The construction of Istanbul’s new airport officially started on May 1, 2015, after the General Directorate of State Airports Authority (DHMİ) officially handed over the allocated area. 

The head of the Chamber of Industry in Istanbul, Erdal Bahçıvan, said the sector is already ready to meet the most of the material needs of the project at the same meeting. 

“The use of local products in the projects held by the public sector or private companies will enable our country to reduce dependence on foreign sources, to raise national income, employment and global competitiveness and to slash its current account gap,” said Bahçıvan, as quoted by Reuters. 

According to data offered during the meeting, a “Local Product Document” is issued for any product with more than 51 percent of local contribution in line with a law that became effective in September 2015. Any local companies that bid in tenders to offer high tech products also benefit from up to 15 percent in cost advantages. 

Akçayoğlu said earlier over 6,000 people are working at the site, including 400 administrative officials.

Most of the construction site was previously used as a mining area and there are many deep water-filled holes, complicating the construction process.