iGA Istanbul Airport Publishes its 2025 Sustainability Report, CEO Bilgen: “We Will Continue to Shape the Sustainability Transformation in Aviation”

iGA Istanbul Airport addresses its sustainability approach together with operational resilience and human-centred transformation within the framework of its “Our Focus is the World; Our Goal is the Future” vision. In 2025, iGA commissioned the Eskişehir Solar Power Plant (SPP), enabling it to meet all of its electricity needs from renewable energy, while 42% of its total water consumption was supplied through reclaimed water. İGA is steadily progressing towards its 2050 Net Zero target, with a roadmap that envisages absolute emissions reductions of 45% by 2030 and 73% by 2040.

Placing sustainability at the heart of its business model, iGA Istanbul Airport has published its 2025 Sustainability Report. Addressing iGA Istanbul Airport’s activities under the headings “Future of Mobility”, “Environmental Integrity” and “Adding Value to People”, the report also presents the company’s performance in the areas of operational resilience, digitalisation and human-centred transformation.

In determining its sustainability priorities, iGA assessed not only the impacts of its activities on the environment and society, but also the risks and opportunities that may arise for the company. As part of the double materiality analysis, updated in line with the requirements of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), nine priority topics identified based on the views of employees, passengers and ecosystem stakeholders were incorporated among the key components of İGA’s sustainability strategy and resource management.

Within this scope, iGA Istanbul Airport commissioned the Eskişehir SPP, with a total installed capacity of 240 megawatts (MW), in August 2025, meeting 54% of its electricity needs in 2025 from renewable energy with just five months of production at the facility, while providing sufficient capacity to meet the company’s entire electricity demand. With the SPP investment expected to prevent an annual average of 105,000 tonnes of carbon emissions, iGA has taken an important step towards its 2050 Net Zero target and continues to resolutely implement its roadmap, which envisages absolute emissions reductions of 45% by 2030 and 73% by 2040 compared with the 2019 baseline year.

iGA Istanbul Airport, which met 42% of its total consumption through reclaimed water, used 1,066,892 cubic metres of reclaimed water in 2025 and met all of its garden irrigation needs from this source.

 “Institutions that can turn growth into value by combining it with efficiency and sustainability will stand out”

Stating that sustainability has become a key competitive factor amid the growth and transformation of global aviation, iGA Istanbul Airport CEO Selahattin Bilgen emphasised that the main factor that makes iGA Istanbul Airport strong is its ability to manage the increase in passenger and flight numbers simultaneously with capacity investments, operational efficiency, service quality, technology and sustainability.

Stating that they regard sustainability as an integral part of the corporate culture and decision-making processes, Selahattin Bilgen said:

“As global aviation continues to grow strongly, the sector has to manage many transformations simultaneously, including climate change, geopolitical uncertainties, supply chain challenges and increasing capacity needs. In this period, institutions that can turn growth into long-term value by combining it with efficiency and sustainability will stand out.

As iGA Istanbul Airport, while reducing our Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 27.8% compared with the 2019 baseline year, we are progressing towards our goal of becoming the first mega hub to meet all of its electricity needs from renewable sources. Beyond today’s operational needs, we aim to create lasting value for the aviation ecosystem of the future. In the coming period, together with our stakeholders, we will continue to be one of the organisations shaping the aviation sector’s sustainability transformation.”

Other highlights from iGA Istanbul Airport’s 2025 Sustainability Report include:

• A global leader in connectivity, iGA Istanbul Airport served 84.4 million passengers and 549.3 thousand flights in 2025 and reached a cargo volume of 2 million tonnes. With 344 destinations and more than 150 cargo connections, the airport continued to be one of the key centres of global mobility and trade. Operational capacity and efficiency were increased with Europe’s first independent triple-runway operation, launched in April 2025.
• With the ROCAT solution implemented as part of the HERON project, runway capacity was increased, while aircraft approach times and flight distances were reduced, delivering operational efficiency and fuel savings. Under the KAIROS project, work continued on integrating AI-based meteorological forecasting models into operations. For runway safety, measures included the AI-based A-FOD system and the integration of fill-level sensors into FOD containers.
• iGA Istanbul Airport became the first airport in Türkiye to receive the ISO 22301 Business Continuity Management System Certification. As part of preparations for climate-related extreme weather events and potential crises, a team comprising 404 personnel and 180 vehicles was established for the 2025–2026 winter period.
• As part of climate change adaptation efforts, vulnerability analyses of critical infrastructure based on medium- and long-term climate projections continued under the “Istanbul Airport Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan” project, carried out in cooperation with TÜBİTAK-MAM. Through these efforts, strategic adaptation measures are being developed to protect the ecosystem and strengthen the airport’s resilience.
• Approximately 20,000 saplings were planted in 2025, while xeriscaping practices aimed to reduce water consumption and support ecological diversity. A total of 11,700 cubic metres of silt soil generated from runway construction was reused in planting mixtures and landscaping activities. To promote a zero-waste culture throughout the airport ecosystem, 5,058 people, comprising employees, public-sector personnel and employees of third-party companies, received “waste management and zero waste” training.
• iGA Istanbul Airport became the first and only Level 5 airport in Europe under the ACI Customer Experience Accreditation programme, while holistic accessibility practices spanning digital solutions, communication channels, and service processes were developed based on field studies and focus groups conducted with different disability groups.
• iGA’s workforce increased by 10.2% year-on-year in 2025 to reach 9,907 employees, while an average of 30.3 hours of training was provided per employee. The proportion of female employees increased to 30.34%, and 20 female employees completed the Women’s Leadership Programme. iGA Istanbul Airport also became the first airport operator in Türkiye to receive the ACI World Mental Health Accreditation.
• Extending education and development beyond the organisation to the entire airport ecosystem, iGA continues to establish strong collaborations with its stakeholders under the umbrella of iGA Academy, which holds ICAO Platinum Training Centre of Excellence Accreditation. Established to increase knowledge and experience sharing across the aviation sector, the iGA Academy Stakeholder Advisory Board has grown to a 64-member structure and continues to contribute to the development of the sector as a whole.

For further information:

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