Turkey’s State Airports Authority spends over 11 million dollars to meet user guarantee
The Turkish Court of Accounts audits revealed that the State Airports Authority in 2022 spent over 330 million Turkish liras (11.25 million dollars) to cover up the shortfall from the user guarantees made for two airports.
Duvar English
Turkish Court of Accounts audits have revealed that the State Airports Authority spent over 330 million Turkish liras (11.25 million dollars) in 2022 just to meet the user guarantees it had made to airport operator companies for capital Ankara’s Esenboğa and the central Anatolian Zafer airports.
The 330 million liras to cover the unfulfilled user guarantees for the two airports amounted to 40 percent of the State Airports Authority’s 2022 expenses of 819.6 million Turkish liras.
The Court of Accounts auditors compared the actual passenger numbers with the numbers guaranteed to the operating companies of the airports. The Esenboğa Airport received traffic 195 million liras (6.6 million dollars) less than the guaranteed amount, whereas the Zafer Airport fell short of the passenger guarantee with 135 million liras (4.5 million dollars).
The airports are operated under the build-operate-transfer model, wherein the Turkish Treasury guarantees to make up any shortfalls in income for the companies involved in the construction of the bridges.
The model is often criticized for incurring financial losses. The Osmangazi and Yavuz Sultan Selim bridges built under the ruling Justice and Development Party similarly fell short of meeting the vehicle guarantees.