Sabiha Gökçen Airport has been implemented as the first stage of the 6 main elements of the Techno city, to be developed as a “Center of Excellence” within the scope of the “High-Tech Industrial Park and Airport Project (ITEP)” prepared by the Defense Industry Presidency.
It was resolved to establish an “Advanced Technology Industrial Park and Civil Aviation Center (ITEP)” in the Pendik Kurtkoy area on the basis of the resolution of the Executive Committee of the Defense Industry in 1987. Sabiha Gökçen Airport with an annual capacity of 3 million international passengers, 500,000 domestic passengers and 90 thousand tons of cargo transportation has been established on the Anatolian side of Istanbul as the first step of the ITEP Project.
It was resolved that the airport operations must be carried out by a joint stock company with a predominant public capital that will operate in accordance with the provisions of the Turkish Commercial Code, and the operation of the airport was initiated as of January 27, 2000 by Havaalanı İşletme ve Havacılık Endüstrileri A.Ş. (HEAŞ) in which the Ministry of Defense Industry has 96.4% capital share.
Founded on January 27, 2000, with partnership between TUSAŞ Havacılık ve Uzay Sanayii A.Ş. (TAI), Turkish Armed Forces Foundation (TSKGV), Turkish Aviation Agency (THK), ASELSAN Elektronik Sanayii ve Ticaret A.Ş. (ASELSAN) and Hava Elektronik Sanayii ve Ticaret A.Ş. (HAVELSAN), HEAŞ continues its activities as a 3-partner company after the transfer of shares of TAI, ASELSAN and HAVELSAN in HEAŞ to TSKGV as of 25.12.2014.
Sabiha Gökçen Airport, opened to traffic on January 08, 2001, is the second airport in Istanbul, the first on the Anatolian side and the first privately operated airport in Turkey, has become an airport that reflects the superior technology of the 2000s, security and customer satisfaction and has gradually increased its passenger capacity every year.
HEAŞ has become an airport “brand”; with 4 thousand passengers and 47 million annual passengers and Ground services, Fuel, Terminal, and Warehouse Management were assigned to İSG (İstanbul Sabiha Gökçen Havalimanı Yapım Yatırım ve İşletim A.Ş.) founded by Limak-GMR-Malaysia Airports consortium as of May 2008 as a result of a tender that was made on 1 July 2007 and started to carry out its activities as Sabiha Gökçen Airport Authority.
In addition to the rule-making, regulation and supervision activities imposed by being an airport authority, HEAŞ also carries out activities related to PAT field, weather information management, Fire-aircraft accident rescue, first aid and Health, keeping navigation devices active for 24 hours, keeping all of the airport's electricity-water-gas-heating-cooling services, aeronautical information processing activities, VIP services, and responsible for the safety of the doorway to the flight side and control operations.