Good point Mr Geezer. However, it seems like THY uses narrowbody aircraft like the 737-800/900 and A320/21 to open up longer and thinner routes from Istanbul (to provide more connectivity and options for passengers) - which is a different strategy than is used by the big 3. For example, THY uses 738s to serve Basra in Iraq, Djibouti, war-torn Mogadishu, and other secondary cities in Africa. I recall the THY CEO mentioning in an article thä the strategy is to first grow to 300 destinations to maximize options and then later increase frequency to each destination for added convenience. With an airport like the one planned (if it comes to fruition), THY would have a platform to do so.
The cargo connectivity would also be very impressive (e.g., send French wine from Marseille to Mogadishu with only one stop).
