OREANDA-NEWS. Miami-Dade Aviation Director Emilio T. Gonzalez was honored to welcome Consul General of Turkey Ozgur Kivanc Altan at Miami International Airport yesterday. Altan is the new head of Turkey's recently opened Consulate General in Miami, the nation's sixth such office in the United States.

Gonzalez, Altan and Aviation Department staff discussed the possibility of connecting the Gateway of the Americas with Istanbul, the historic gateway linking Asia and Europe, which now stands as one of the world's fastest-growing hubs for air travel. Istanbul is centrally located - straddling two continents - and the city of 14 million is home to two international airports. Air traffic demand is so strong, in fact, that a third major international airport is in the planning phase.

"It was an honor to meet with Consul General Altan at MIA yesterday and welcome him to our community," said Gonzalez. "Turkey's new consulate here in Miami is a strong indication of the growing business and leisure ties between our communities, and we will continue to pursue direct air connections in keeping with our strategic plans to make MIA into a truly global gateway."