AIIB extends 140 mln-euro loan for Türkiye's Antalya airport expansion

ANKARA, April 17 (Xinhua) -- The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) announced Monday that it is extending a 140 million euro (about 153 million U.S. dollars) loan to Türkiye's Antalya airport operator to improve the airport's runway capacity and terminal infrastructure.

The Beijing-based multilateral development bank said in a statement that this capex bridge loan will facilitate greater cross-border connectivity between Europe, Asia, and other regions.

It is AIIB's first non-sovereign backed financing transaction in the airport industry, said the statement.

"The Antalya airport is a gateway to tourism in Türkiye," said AIIB Vice President Konstantin Limitovskiy.

"It (the airport expansion project) will also contribute to Türkiye's economic recovery from recent financial shocks and local natural disasters while enhancing global cross-border connectivity," he said.