A recent boom in online shopping from Arab countries in the Gulf region has transformed Istanbul Airport into a thriving e-commerce hub. Over the past two months, outbound e-commerce shipments from Istanbul to the Gulf region have surged, positioning Istanbul Airport as a central player in the competitive e-commerce sector, renowned for its speed and efficiency. Leading companies such as Amazon, Trendyol, and Alibaba have chosen Istanbul Airport as a key distribution center, particularly for products destined for the Gulf region.
Turkish e-commerce platform Trendyol has made significant strides in the Gulf market, opening its second pop-up store in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and achieving over one million sales in the region. Remarkably, sales to customers in the Gulf states now account for 25 percent of Trendyol's total sales volume. In just eight months, Trendyol has garnered two million active customers in the Arabian Peninsula, with plans to expand this number to six million by the end of the year. Last year, Trendyol's exports climbed to USD 650 million, and the company is now pushing the envelope to reach USD 2.5 billion in exports this year.
Istanbul Airport has emerged as the linchpin of Türkiye's cargo transportation, handling 99 percent of the country's e-commerce operations. By May 2023, air cargo transportation at Istanbul Airport surged 97 percent, reaching 629 tons in the first four months alone, marking significant year-over-year growth.
E-exporters primarily ship to key destinations such as Riyadh, Jeddah, Baku, Dubai, Mecca, and Abu Dhabi, further solidifying Istanbul Airport's status as a vital e-commerce hub.