Electricity tender opened for Balıkesir Airport, which has no passengers: 5 tenders in 6 years

The General Directorate of State Airports Authority has announced that it will hold an electricity tender on October 14 for Balıkesir Central Airport, where no scheduled passenger planes have landed for 6 years. While this is the 6th electricity tender for Balıkesir Central Airport in 6 years, 7 million 598 thousand 760 TL has been spent on 5 million 250 thousand kilowatt-hours of electricity during this period.

CHP Balıkesir Deputy Serkan Sarı, who has previously called out to Minister of Transport Abdulkadir Uraloğlu many times from in front of Balıkesir Central Airport, spoke this time from a street in Balıkesir where hearing aid shops and opticians are located to express his reaction. Sarı said, "If his ears still do not hear and his eyes do not see despite so many calls, I can help him."

Reminding of the words of Minister Uraloğlu, who spoke at the opening ceremony of the Istanbul AirShow 2024 International Civil Aviation Fair, the CHP deputy said the following:

'YOU HELD 5 TENDERS IN 6 YEARS'

"He says, ‘Our citizens who want to go from point A to point B buy their plane tickets if there is an airport and reach their destination quickly. We have equipped every corner of Turkey, we have flights to 50 countries,’ he says. But we are making a call to the Minister from here. You cannot land a single plane at Balıkesir Central Airport. What is the answer we get when we ask? They say, ‘It is at the discretion of the airline companies.’

While you are proud there, I wonder if you are ashamed here? I am curious, you have held 5 tenders in 6 years for this non-functioning airport, this airport where no planes land. You paid an electricity bill of 5 million 250 thousand kilowatt-hours in these tenders. The cost of this is 7 million TL. Now you are going out to a new tender. With a new tender, with a new electricity procurement tender, even though no planes land at the airport at all, even though not a single citizen passenger, not a single passenger is carried, unfortunately, you continue to spend money at this airport, Mr. Minister."

Sarı invited Minister Uraloğlu to duty once again and spoke as follows:

'IF HIS EARS DO NOT HEAR AND HIS EYES DO NOT SEE DESPITE SO MANY CALLS...'

"In the emphasis he made in his speech, he said; ‘if you close your eyes, your ears, to the whole world, you will remain very far from where you should be in the world.’ I ask the Honorable Minister; he may really have health problems, I don't know if his ears hear? He should go and get a check-up, if his eyes do not see, he should get a check-up. I hope he does not have any health problems.

But if his ears still do not hear and his eyes do not see despite so many calls, I would like to emphasize to him that I can help in this regard if a hearing aid is needed, and I can also help if he has a problem with his eyes. If there are deficiencies in his health, it is our duty to fix them. I am making a call to the Honorable Minister once again from here. No scheduled flights land at Balıkesir Central Airport. No planes land at this airport, which has 78 personnel working and has been in operation for 6 years. I invite you to do your duty."