Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the request was made by him on behalf of MAHB at a meeting with Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan here yesterday.

He said Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen international airport, which is wholly owned and managed by MAHB, is currently being expanded by the Turkish government with a second runway and a third terminal.

The airport is Turkiye’s second-largest airport and the sixth busiest gateway in Europe, handling 25 million passengers in 2021. It has the single busiest runway in the world with flights to 110 destinations in 49 countries.

Ismail also said he had met with nine key industry players, including Turkiye’s government-linked companies during his four-day official visit which ended today.

“Turkish companies have expressed interest in investing in Malaysia, collaborating in technology transfer and collaborating in knowledge sharing and expertise,” he told a press conference with Malaysian journalists.

The two countries also agreed to expand the scope of the Malaysia-Turkiye Free Trade Agreement (MTFTA) to cover the areas of investment, services and e-commerce, in addition to trade which was the original scope of the MTFTA.

It is expected to open up high-impact investment opportunities from Turkiye to Malaysia, create new jobs and, in the long run, develop high-value skills in Malaysia, the prime minister said.