The Swedish travel and flight-focused magazine Flytorget Magazin has provided extensive coverage of Alanya. It published an interview conducted by journalist Anders Hasselbohm with Mayor Hasan Sipahioğlu.
In the report, correspondent Hasselbohm covered topics such as the contributions Gazipaşa Airport will make to Alanya tourism and the importance of the airport for Scandinavian tourists, who prefer Alanya most among all destinations in Turkey.
The interview conducted by Hasselbohm with Mayor Hasan Sipahioğlu:
FLYGTORGET MAGAZİN
Niche news: The first charter flight will land at the newly constructed Gazipaşa Airport in June. This airport is located approximately 35 km from Alanya and is the most popular destination for people coming from Sweden and the Scandinavian countries.
This information was provided by Alanya Mayor Hasan Sipahioğlu in an interview given to "Flytorget" magazine.
Therefore, there will be a significant reduction in transfer times for the 180,000–200,000 Swedes who come to Alanya every year. The current duration of 2–2.5 hours from Antalya will drop to 30–40 minutes from Gazipaşa.
According to Mayor Hasan Sipahioğlu, a major Swedish and Scandinavian charter company has initiated efforts to organize flights to Gazipaşa Airport.
When Gazipaşa Airport is ready at the beginning of the summer, other organizers will also want to make agreements, because half of the Swedish tourists coming to Turkey come to Alanya.
The Alanya Mayor is in constant contact with the TAV management. This company is the operator of Gazipaşa Airport and is continuing the works currently underway there.
TAV also operates other international airports simultaneously. These include Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Monastir/Tunisia, and Tbilisi International Airport in Georgia.
TAV has made an agreement to operate Gazipaşa Airport for 25 years.
“This new airport will hold great importance for Alanya,” says the Alanya Mayor. “At its opening in June, the length of the landing runway will be 1,825 m. However, works on the site will continue, and the runway length will be 2,400 m in 2010.”
As understood, TAV has previously held discussions with the British charter company Easyjet for the Gazipaşa route.
Swedish people, who are hosts in the Alanya region, are also waiting for an airport.
At the same time, scheduled flights are also being planned from places such as Ankara or Istanbul.
“Gazipaşa Airport will further increase the interest in the region. More people will want to buy apartments or houses. Alanya will also become a center of attraction for wealthy Turkish people for Ankara or Istanbul. Currently, these people prefer Bodrum because it is easier to go there by plane. With the opening of the airport, the real estate sector will also become active again.”
Turkey is the third largest charter destination alongside Spain and Greece. It is expected that Turkey will be in first place this summer, because Euro exchange rates have increased prices in other countries.