The Role of Airports in Sustainable Regional Development: Insights From Turkish Airports

Through their roles in the air transport system, airports are not only major contributors to the global and national economies but also accessibility and social inclusion. Their economic and social impacts are also major contributors to sustainable regional development. In the last decades, there has been a significant increase in air transport in Türkiye. This chapter examines how airports support economic development, discusses the social impacts of airport development, and gives insights from several case airports selected from Türkiye to reveal their economic and social contributions to regional development. By examining selected case studies and best practices, the study offers insights into how airports contribute to regional development and how this impact can be enhanced by regional planning and other policy mechanisms from a developing country perspective.