Çukurova International Airport — Tarsus, Turkey

Built to relieve pressure on the aging Adana Şakirpaşa Airport and to unify air service across the densely populated Çukurova plain, COV opened in the early 2020s as a joint gateway for Adana, Mersin, and Tarsus, three of southern Turkey's largest industrial and agricultural cities clustered along the Mediterranean coast. Tarsus itself carries deep historical weight, remembered as the birthplace of the Apostle Paul and as the setting for the legendary first meeting between Cleopatra and Mark Antony, a legacy the surrounding region still trades on for cultural tourism. The Çukurova plain ranks among Turkey's most productive agricultural zones, and cotton, citrus, and other crops move through the airport's growing cargo operations alongside industrial goods manufactured in Adana's factories. A modern single terminal and long runway were designed with considerable room for future growth, reflecting planners' expectations that the greater metropolitan area's combined population, among the largest in Turkey outside Istanbul and Ankara, will continue driving air-travel demand upward.