Turkmenistan opens $2 billion bird-shaped international airport

Turkmenistan''s President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov on Saturday hailed his country''s "solid transit potential" as he unveiled an international airport worth over $2 billion in the capital Ashgabat. Berdymukhamedov said the new airport''s two passenger terminals would have the capacity to serve 17 million passengers a year while the freight terminal could handle 200,000 tons of freight annually.
The five-floor airport is built in the shape of a giant bird - echoing the logo of the Central Asian state carrier Turkmenistan airlines - by Turkish construction company Polimeks who won a $2 billion contract in 2013. A source at the carrier told AFP on condition of anonymity that the new airport cost $2.35 billion by the time it was completed. Turkmenistan welcomed 105,000 tourists in 2015 according to the state tourism committee, but makes efforts to boost the sector despite a restrictive visa regime.