Türkiye lays roadmap for its next 100 years in transport: mega projects on the way

The "Türkiye's Century in Transport and Infrastructure Summit," organized by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure in cooperation with Albayrak Media, opened today, October 8, in Istanbul. Held at the Istanbul Congress Center, the summit brings together industry representatives, experts, and senior executives to plan Türkiye's next 100 years in transport and infrastructure.

From highways to aviation, and digital infrastructure to communication technologies, the event is putting the road map for the "Türkiye Century" on the table with the sector's top names.

The summit opened with remarks by Albayrak Media General Manager Abdullah Hanönü, who framed the vision in strategic terms: "Türkiye's goal is no longer to be merely a country that roads pass through. Its goal is to be a center country where roads meet, change direction, and are redistributed to the world." He pointed to the Middle Corridor running east–west and the Development Road running south–north as cornerstones of that ambition, adding: "Geography alone is not destiny; it is reason, will, labor, and vision that turn geography into opportunity."

Turkish Airlines CEO Ahmet Olmuştur followed with striking figures on the national carrier's transformation: from 65 aircraft flying to 103 cities in 2003, Turkish Airlines now operates 564 aircraft serving 133 countries and 355 destinations across six continents — making it the airline flying to the most countries in the world. He noted that Istanbul Airport, described as "a monument of victory," is now Europe's busiest airport, with four runways capable of handling 148 flights per hour. He also set a new target: becoming the first Turkish brand to enter the world's top 100 most valuable brands.

Türk Telekom CEO Ebubekir Şahin emphasized that transport and communications are inseparable drivers of national development, and that digitalization must be built into infrastructure from the start — not added afterward. "Thanks to technologies like fiber, 5G, and artificial intelligence, we can manage transport networks in real time and respond to changing needs much faster," he said.

BTK Chairman Mehmet Koçyiğit outlined how Türkiye is embedding connectivity into its transport corridors: 5G licensing now includes coverage obligations for smart highways and smart high-speed rail lines, alongside existing requirements for motorways, tunnels over 1 km, and divided roads. He also highlighted a domestically developed, ASELSAN-built national monitoring system that detects unauthorized broadcasts and locates jamming signals without needing external reports — a key safeguard for air traffic control and transport safety. On the logistics front, he revealed that 2025 saw a record 1.45 billion+ cargo shipments, with the first half of this year already up 5% to 728 million.

In the summit's centerpiece special session, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu is answering questions from Yeni Şafak Editor-in-Chief Hüseyin Likoğlu, TVNET Editor-in-Chief Serhat İbrahimoğlu, and Z Raporu Editor-in-Chief Semra Karabaş.

The event is sponsored by leading companies including Avrasya Tunnel, Cengiz Holding, Getir.com, Halkbank, IGA Airport, Limak Holding, TURKA, Turkcell, Turkish Airlines, Türk Telekom, VakıfBank, and Ziraat Bank.