Dalaman international airport is the nearest airport to Kalkan.  It is used by around 84% of visitors to Kalkan.  It also serves places like Marmaris, Turunç, Fethiye, Göcek and Kaş.

The smooth operation of the airport is critical to thousands of travellers, and the overall tourism industry in this part of Turkey.

We wanted to meet the man in charge, Hamdi Güvenç, so we made an appointment and went to see him.

Dalaman airport - the beating heart
If tourists are the lifeblood of the Aegean and Mediterranean coast economy, then surely Dalaman airport is the beating heart that pumps that lifeblood round.

It sucks us in, tired and blue from the cold, from 23 UK airports, before we are distributed to our favourite destinations, and a short time later, the airport then delivers us back from whence we came, relaxed, and red all over.  (Well, almost all over).

When you step out of the international terminal building at Dalaman, and take your first deep breath of Turkish air, the sense of anticipation is enough to get your pulse racing.

To Dalaman in a downpour
However, when KTLN visited Dalaman airport on an exceptionally wet and windy Saturday afternoon in January, the international airport was virtually deserted. 

As I drove up to the departures area, the enormous greyness of the building loomed large.

I was met by Coşkun Aksoy, the assistant to the General Manager, and after passing through the ever present security screening, I was taken to a place that we don't normally get to see - the offices of the team that runs the entire facility.

In contrast to the cold, damp weather, my welcome could not have been warmer.  As I waited to see Hamdi Güvenç, his driver, an affable fellow named Zeki, offered me Turkish coffee, which was presented in a rather ornate Turkish coffee cup.

I chatted for a while with Coşkun, before we both went into the General Manager's office for our meeting.

Hamdi Güvenç - General Manager
Hamdi is married with 2 grown up children, and is originally from Kars in the north east of Turkey. 

He has an interesting and impressive career history, which includes time spent in the Turkish Ministry of Finance, as well as successful spells operating at a senior level within the hotel and tourism industry.

Before he came to Dalaman airport, Hamdi was part of the senior management team responsible for developing and running Antalya airport, under a 'Build, Operate, Transfer' (BOT) model. 

His company built the airport, and managed it for 10 years, building up passenger numbers from 1.7 million to over 10 million per annum.

As well as being General Manager, Hamdi is on the Board of Directors of ATM Havalimanlı Yapım & İşletme A Ş, (ATM Airport Construction & Management Ltd) , the company that built, and now runs the international terminal at Dalaman.

Much of his time is spent promoting the airport, and trying to get new business, as well as looking after existing customers. 

His role requires a lot of travel, and Hamdi reckons that he spends about 200 days a year away on business - his air miles in 2011 would be the equivalent of flying twice around the Earth!

Whilst one of his main roles is to attract new carriers to fly to Dalaman, his duties fit hand in glove with the Ministry of Tourism, and they work closely together, for the benefit of the wider tourism industry.

A brief history of Dalaman airport
All commercial airports in Turkey are ultimately controlled by the DHMI - Devlet Hava Meydanları İşletmesi (General Directorate of State Airports Authority).

In 1988 work began on building the old terminal building at Dalaman, which is now used exclusively for internal flights. 

In 2004 ATM won the DHMI tender to build the international terminal at Dalaman, and when it opened for business in 2006, the company became responsible for its day to day management, under another BOT scheme.  The total investment in Dalaman was a massive US$150 million.

The agreement to run the airport expires in 2015, at which time DHMI will probably put the management contract out to tender again.  Hamdi hopes that ATM gets a chance to continue what they started.

A few questions from KTLN
We took the opportunity to ask some questions about the way in which the airport operates.

Why are there so few international flights out of the main tourist season?
Some people may think Dalaman international airport closes down, out of the main tourist season, but that is not true.  Dalaman is very much open for business, but the carriers simply don't put on many flights. 

There is a fundamental dilemma here.  The carriers will not fly to Dalaman out of season, if there is insufficient demand, as they will lose money.  But people can't begin to think about flying to Dalaman, if there is no service. 

The big question is, if airlines put on out of season flights, in these times of economic uncertainty, will there be enough passengers to make them viable?  

For its part, Dalaman international airport is ready and willing to work with carriers who want to provide a service, 365 days a year.

Why is the price of food and drink so expensive?
ATM rents out units to private companies.  The maximum prices for food and drink are not set by ATM, but by the DHMI in conjunction with the regional Ministry of Tourism in Muğla. 

In setting maximum prices, consideration is given to prices charged in airports all over the world.  Prices should always be clearly displayed so customers can check before they buy.

[Editor: We have written to the Ministry of Tourism in Muğla, to ask how prices are set, and if they will consider reducing them, to encourage more sales].

Why do the pairs of escalators both go in the same direction?
Beyond passport control there are four escalators - two pairs, side by side.  The two at the food court end only go up, and the two at the CIP Lounge side go down.

The reason we do it this way is for the comfort and safety of our passengers.  When we had the pairs set with one going up and one down, there were problems. 

Energy saving escalators would be stationary, and some people did not read the signs, and climbed the steps of the down escalator at rest, only to trigger the sensor as they got near the top, causing them to fall.  So we decided to set it as it is now - a one way system. 

This also ensures a smooth flow of people, in one circular direction.

Are there enough seats to cater for peak time passenger numbers?
Dalaman international airport complies with standards set by the authorities.  These standards are based upon the number of departure gates and the types of aircraft flying to the airport. 

There are 1,765 airside seats for passengers - the number is over 2,500 if you include cafe and restaurant seating.

On check-in for outbound flights we aim to process travellers as quickly as possible, so we do not have many seats in the check-in area.

Dalaman has 60 check in desks, and 12 boarding gates, 8 of which have covered air-bridges.

Can the lighting in the airport be made brighter?
Of course it is possible to do this, but we have no immediate plans to make changes.

During the day, the combination of large windows and the partial glass roofing, give the interior ample natural light.  In fact, there is so much natural light from the sun that in summer we have to use a special 'aerofoil solar control system' to reduce the amount of light and heat, in order to maintain ideal conditions, inside the terminal building. 

At night, we believe that the artificial lighting is sufficient, for travellers to pass safely and comfortably through the building.  ATM is committed to its environmental responsibilities, and this means we must take care not to waste electricity on lighting that may look nice, but for which there is no practical need.

2011 - a challenging year for Dalaman
It was a tough year for Dalaman international airport in 2011.  The harsh economic conditions in the UK translated into a drop in UK passenger numbers for the very first time. 

UK flights account for about two thirds of Dalaman's business.

Below we provide an interesting comparison of incoming UK flights and passenger numbers for Dalaman, in both 2010 and 2011.  The tables give analysis by airline and also by originating airport.  Traffic from the UK fell by about 11% last year.

Below: Incoming UK flights/passengers to Dalaman international 2010 & 2011 - by airline.

Below: Incoming UK flights/passengers to Dalaman international 2010 & 2011 - by place of origin.

Looking below, at all international flights (incoming and outgoing), for Dalaman and Antalya airports, it is interesting to see how they compare. 

The table below shows passenger numbers for the last two years.

It's not a true comparison to look at the absolute numbers, but the trends are interesting. 

We suspect that year on year changes reflect the fact that Dalaman (-5%), has relied predominantly on UK passengers, whereas Antalya (+12%), is more multi-national in its customer base.  For example, Antalya has a greater proportion of Russian and Scandanavian passengers, within its overall numbers.

Looking at the wider picture, for Turkey as a whole, passenger numbers were up by 14.4% in 2011.  See this report in Todays Zaman online.  Istanbul airports had a particularly good year.

Below: Hamdi Güvenç stands by his map of the UK, showing 23 airports they do business with. 

Plans for 2012
The economy in the UK, and in wider Europe is in pretty poor shape right now.  Let's be honest, the outlook for 2012 is bleak.  Hamdi appreciates this fact, and he is working harder than ever, on trying to attract more flights, and more carriers to Dalaman. 

Following our meeting with him, he was preparing to travel to a tourism fair in the Netherlands.  His schedule is pretty hectic for the foreseeable future.

He has had some success.  For example, we learned that Jet2 will be putting on new flights to Dalaman this year, from Edinburgh, Newcastle and Norwich.  Good news for Turkey fans.

Let's hope that Hamdi has continued success as he travels round, promoting Dalaman international. 

The airport is a critical facilitator for tourism in the area, and is important for the future prospects of thousands of people working in the Turkish tourism industry. 

And finally...
One piece of information we picked up on our visit, was that the small airport planned for Gürses, (between Kaş and Demre) is not going ahead now.

KTLN would like to thank Hamdi Güvenç for his time and warm hospitality.  We wish him and his team every success in 2012, and beyond.

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