Airport in NE Turkey to be completed by 2020: Erdogan

By Fatih Hafiz Mehmet

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday announced that the construction of an airport in northeastern Gumushane would be completed by 2020.

"Hopefully we will finish [construction of] the airport, which will serve Gumushane and Bayburt provinces, by 2020, Erdogan said speaking at an event in Bayburt.

“With this airport, the sufferings caused by long journey between Gumushane and Bayburt will be overcome," he added.

The airport is planned to be constructed at Salyazi village of Gumushane bordering Bayburt.

Erdogan said the airport, which would be suitable for the landing of large planes, will have an annual capacity of two million passengers.

"The airport has the cost of 285 million ($73 million) and the project and tender preparations of the airport ongoing," he said.

He added that in the last 15 years they made investments of over 3 billion ($773.6 million) in Bayburt.