Transport
From The Report: Turkey 2012
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It has been even more clear to the Turkish transport industry in the past few years that an improved transit network is crucial to accommodate the nation’s population growth and urban migration. The government has made transportation a priority, and the private sector is responding. Turkish Airlines, the national flagship carrier, has been updating its network to improve the efficacy of both domestic and international connections. Turkey is also carrying this mission out on the ground, building new bridges and roads, and high-speed rail, while in the cities key upgrades are being made to public transport systems. Marine transportation, with collaboration from the private sector, is also being improved through the use of build-operate-transfer contracts. With the pipeline of investments set to tackle dramatic transport challenges, and improved communication between public and private sector, solutions to Turkey’s transport needs appear to be on their way.

This chapter has interviews with Binali Yıldırım, the Minister of Transport, Communication and Maritime Affairs; and Temel Kotil, the CEO of Turkish Airlines.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

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Long hailed as the crossroads of civilisations and a bridge between continents, Turkey is now looking to upgrade its physical infrastructure in a bid to improve competitiveness. With a growing population of just under 75m, it faces bottlenecks in moving people and goods across its vast area and through its crowded cities. Moreover, strengthening ties in trade and tourism with Europe, Asia and the Middle East make it imperative to improve international transport connections. The government…

Analysis

In stops and starts: The privatisation portfolio includes a number of big-ticket items
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Privatisation has been on the agenda for years, with sales of major state-owned industries in the late 1990s and early 2000s defining the country’s commitment to free markets. The trend hit a high-water mark in 2005-06, when the government accrued a total of $16.3bn in revenues from the sale of Türk Telekom, the refinery company Tüpraş and steel producer Erdemir. In recent years, the focus has turned to privatising networks – electricity grids, gas distribution systems and motorways. The…

Interview

Structural adjustments: OBG talks to Binali Yıldırım, Minister of Transport, Communications and Maritime Affairs
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Interview: Binali Yıldırım How will restructuring the ministry enable the federal government to promote greater rail and maritime transport coverage nationwide? BINALI YILDIRIM: The ministry has always had a wide range of responsibilities due to the convergence of transport and communications infrastructure. These responsibilities have created the need for restructuring in order to fulfil our responsibilities in a systematic and up-todate manner. For example, we have set up three new maritime…

Interview

OBG talks to Temel Kotil, CEO, Turkish Airlines
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Interview: Temel Kotil Are Turkish carriers facing increased competition in the domestic market from international players? TEMEL KOTİL: We have two markets in which we compete. One is the Turkish market, including domestic point-to-point traffic, and the second is the global transfer market. In the former, we have about 60% of the market and this is growing because Turkey has a healthy economy, which is encouraging more people to travel – both internally and internationally. In terms of international…