Airport project cost soars to 9.4 billion lira, completion delayed for years

A major airport project in Turkey, initially slated for completion in 2021, is significantly behind schedule and vastly over budget. The Bayburt-Gümüşhane Airport, presented as a "mega project" in the ruling AKP party's 2018 election manifesto, was expected to open by 2021. This deadline passed, and a subsequent promise to open it in 2023 also failed to materialize.

As of July 2026, the project is only 25.4% complete. The cost has ballooned dramatically since its inception. In 2018, the estimated cost was 300 million Turkish lira. By 2026, the projected cost has soared to 9.44 billion Turkish lira, representing a staggering 31-fold increase.

Recent spending figures highlight the escalating costs. Between January and June 2026, approximately 299.5 million Turkish lira was spent on the airport. This amount alone is close to the total budget initially allocated for the entire project in 2018.

The Bayburt-Gümüşhane Airport continues to be a project under construction, marked by missed deadlines and escalating expenses, despite its repeated inclusion in election promises.