"Sister Airports" Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport and Cologne Bonn Airport. The agreement adds a new dimension to aviation cooperation between Türkiye and Germany; It includes mutual knowledge, experience and technology sharing in areas such as airport and terminal operations, digitalization, aviation safety, sustainability, RFF services and passenger experience.
On the Turkish side of the Memorandum of Understanding, T.R. Aerodrome Authority of Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, a subsidiary of the Presidency of Defense Industries, Airport Management and Aviation Industries Inc. (HEAŞ) and the terminal operator Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport Yatırım Yapım ve İşletme A.Ş. (ISG), while on the German side there is Flughafen Köln/Bonn GmbH, the operator of Cologne Bonn Airport.
INFORMATION AND EXPERIENCE SHARING WILL BE STRENGTHENED
Within the scope of the agreement, it is aimed for the parties to strengthen the sharing of knowledge and experience, mutually evaluate international practices and increase operational efficiency.
Employees will be allowed to observe different operational processes on-site through personnel exchange and on-the-job experience programs. Partnership; It covers the topics of passenger experience, terminal and flight operations, digitalization, new technologies, safety, sustainability, commercial activities, new flight connections and infrastructure.
The parties also aim to form the basis of a sustainable institutional cooperation with concrete projects and joint activities.
"WE BRINGING THE STRENGTHS OF TWO AIRPORTS IN A SHARED FUTURE"
HEAŞ General Manager Faruk Kacır pointed out the importance of the Memorandum of Understanding in terms of international cooperation of Sabiha Gökçen International Airport.
Kacır said, "Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport is among the leading airports not only in our country but also in Europe, with the passenger and flight traffic it reaches today. As the Airport Authority HEAŞ, we attach importance to taking the knowledge and experience we have gained while managing our high operational capacity in line with the principles of safety, efficiency and sustainability, to a further level with international collaborations." he said.
Kacır stated that the agreement signed with Cologne Bonn Airport will contribute to mutual knowledge and experience sharing in a wide range of areas, from apron and runway operations to RFF services, from airport safety to digitalization and sustainability.
Kacır also stated that they aim to develop joint studies for the future of aviation by bringing together the institutional and operational know-how of the two airports, and evaluated the agreement as a reflection of the deep-rooted relations between Türkiye and Germany in the field of aviation.
"A PERIOD OF NEW OPPORTUNITIES IN THE AVIATION INDUSTRY"
Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen (ISG) Executive Director Hanita Ahmad also stated that the agreement will bring together the strengths of the two airports.
Ahmad stated that Germany is Sabiha Gökçen Airport's largest international passenger market, and that when Turkish citizens are excluded in the first six months of 2026, Germans will rank first among foreign passengers.
Stating that Cologne hosts more than 90 thousand people of Turkish origin, Ahmad said that this population supports the tourism of visiting friends and relatives and creates an intense and stable passenger traffic between Cologne, Bonn and Sabiha Gökçen.
Ahmad stated that the cooperation will create opportunities to expand the passenger traffic and connection network between the two countries, attract Germany's regional carriers to Sabiha Gökçen Airport and increase commercial relations.
"WE ARE BUILDING A NEW BRIDGE BETWEEN COUNTRIES AND CULTURES"
Cologne Bonn Airport General Manager Cenk Özöztürk stated that the Memorandum of Understanding is an important step that strengthens the relations between Türkiye and Germany in the field of aviation, beyond the cooperation between the two airports.
Özöztürk said, "This Memorandum of Understanding, which represents a turning point rather than cooperation, creates a new bridge between Germany and Turkey, Cologne and its sister city Istanbul, while also offering important opportunities for international and intercultural interaction." he said.
Özöztürk said that they aim to share their knowledge and experience with their business partners at HEAŞ and ISG, to get to know different working methods closely and to ensure that regular information exchange makes concrete contributions to daily operations.
OPERATIONAL FORCES OF THE TWO AIRPORTS MEET
Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport served 48.4 million passengers and more than 275 thousand flights in 2025. Cologne Bonn Airport operated with more than 10 million passengers, approximately 840 thousand tons of air cargo and 15 thousand employees in the same period.
This structure creates the basis for mutual sharing of Sabiha Gökçen's experience in high-volume passenger and airport operations and Cologne Bonn's experience in cargo, logistics and the European aviation ecosystem.
ISTANBUL-COLOGNE AIR TRANSPORTATION IS GETTING STRONGER
The bond between Istanbul and Cologne will gain a new dimension in the field of aviation with the agreement. It is aimed to improve the relations between Istanbul and Cologne, which have been sister cities since 1997, at institutional and operational levels.
There are currently approximately 40 connections per week, up to seven flights per day, between Cologne Bonn and Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport. While Türkiye is one of the important destination markets of Cologne Bonn Airport, Germany is also among the important international markets of Sabiha Gökçen Airport.
The Memorandum of Understanding signed between HEAŞ, ISG and Cologne Bonn Airport aims to transform the existing air transportation bond into a corporate, technical and operational partnership and to create a sustainable cooperation between the two airports.
