Malaysian Company Becomes Sole Owner Of İstanbul Airport

Malaysia Airports Holding (MAHB) purchased the remaining 40 percent of shares in İstanbul's Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, thus becoming the sole owner of the airport, according to news outlets on Friday.

The firm was already in possession of 60 percent of the airport's shares and used its pre-emptive purchasing rights to acquire the remaining 40 percent for 285 million euros in spite of another offer. The Turkish firm TAV Holding had offered to purchase the shares for the same price, but the Malaysian company blocked TAV from doing so by exercising its pre-emptive rights.

Sabiha Gökçen is located on the outskirts of İstanbul's Anatolian side, and is the second-largest airport İstanbul after the Atatürk Airport, the city's main hub. The airport was developed by a consortium comprised of MAHB, the Turkish Limak Holding and an Indian firm and has the capacity to handle 25 million passengers annually.

(Cihan/Today's Zaman)