The ceremony was held on the occasion that the number of passengers at Rize-Artvin Airport, which has the distinction of being Turkiye’s second seaside airport, exceeded 1 million during the year.
The plane, which made the Istanbul-Rize flight carrying the 1 millionth passenger, Emine Ataman, under the leadership of the Rize and Artvin Governorships, was welcomed by Rize Governor Ihsan Selim Baydas, Artvin Governor Cengiz Uysal, Rize Mayor Rahmi Metin, Civil Aviation General Director Kemal Yuksek and their entourage.
All passengers traveling on the plane were given tea as a gift by Caykur General Directorate.
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu, who attended the ceremony held at the Domestic Terminal by phone, said that Rize-Artvin Airport is one of Turkiye’s important investments. Referring to the importance of the number of passengers, Uraloglu said, “On this occasion, it has been confirmed how much our airport is needed and how necessary it is. I send greetings from Antalya to the authorities of our Rize and Artvin provinces for this event.
Good luck to our airport. It is not a transportation project, but also a work of engineering. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who contributed, especially our President. I hope God will grant us the opportunity to see 10 million people.”
Civil Aviation General Manager Kemal Yuksek stated that air transportation grew by 2% after the Covid-19 period.
Emine Ataman stated that she learned on the plane that she was the 1 millionth passenger and that it was a big surprise for her and her family.
Explaining that his parents are elderly, Ataman said, “I buy my ticket and come whenever I want. I am home 20 minutes after getting off the plane. May God bless those who did it, especially our President.”
Source: AA / Prepared by Irem Yildiz