Istanbul, Sariyer, Türkiye, December 2025 – TAV Airports has appointed S. Mete Erna, currently General Manager of HAVAŞ, as Chief Operating Officer – Airports (COO), effective 1 January 2026. Erna will assume the role from Kürşad Koçak, who will become Chairman of the Board of HAVAŞ, the ground handling subsidiary of TAV Airports.
In his new capacity, Erna will oversee airport operations across TAV’s portfolio, drawing on three decades of experience in aviation, ground handling, cargo and passenger services in Türkiye and abroad.
Erna completed both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in International Relations at Istanbul University, Faculty of Political Sciences. He began his aviation career in 1995 at HAVAŞ, building expertise in pricing, contracting, budgeting, customer relations, sales negotiations and project management over a ten-year period.
He later took on senior roles at several aviation and ground handling companies. At Swissport in Singapore, he served as Budget Terminal Manager at Changi Airport, where he established, trained and managed ramp, passenger services and operations departments. He then joined Celebi Holding as Marketing Manager in Türkiye and India, followed by a role as Cargo Manager, Türkiye at Saudi Airlines Cargo Co., leading sales and marketing for cargo operations in the country.
Erna rejoined HAVAŞ in 2014, assuming leadership responsibilities in sales, marketing and business development. He was appointed Deputy General Manager of Sales & Marketing in October 2017, Acting General Manager on 1 July 2020, and General Manager on 1 October 2020, managing all operations in Türkiye and abroad, including ground handling, cargo and shuttle bus services. Since January 2023, he has also served as an Operating Board Member at the Aviation Services Association (ASA World).
Leadership Changes at HAVAŞ
Alongside Erna’s appointment as COO – Airports at TAV Airports, several senior leadership changes will take effect at HAVAŞ on 1 January 2026:
- Mehmet Bozdemir, currently Deputy General Manager of HAVAŞ Warehouse Operations, has been appointed General Manager of HAVAŞ. A graduate of Middle East Technical University’s Department of Economics, Bozdemir joined HAVAŞ in 1995 and has held various managerial roles at İzmir, Ankara and Antalya stations, as well as within the General Directorate. He served as Deputy General Manager of Operations from 2015 and was appointed Deputy General Manager of Warehouse Operations in 2025.
- Turgay Günaydın, Deputy General Manager of HAVAŞ Bus Operations, has been appointed Deputy General Manager of Warehouse Operations, supporting the company’s growing cargo and warehouse activities.
- Erol Kazcı, Deputy General Manager of HAVAŞ Technical and Logistics, has been appointed Senior Technical Expert at TAV Airports Holding, where he will contribute his technical and logistics expertise at the group level.
These changes reinforce TAV Airports’ and HAVAŞ’s focus on operational excellence and robust leadership across airport, ground handling and support services.
About TAV Airports
TAV Airports operates a diversified airport management and services platform across more than 100 airports in over 30 countries. In 2024, TAV’s airports served around 107 million passengers across its portfolio. As part of Groupe ADP, TAV contributes to one of the largest airport management ecosystems globally. Through its subsidiaries, TAV is active in duty-free retail, food and beverage, ground handling, IT, private security, and commercial area management, and its shares are traded on the Istanbul Stock Exchange.
About Havaş Ground Handling Co.
Havaş provides ground handling services to more than 200 airlines at various airports in Türkiye and abroad. Its main activities include passenger and luggage transactions, ramp services, aircraft cleaning, load control and communication, cargo and mail, flight operations, transportation, representation and supervision services. Havaş also provides warehouse services at Istanbul, Antalya, Ankara and Izmir airports.
In addition to ground handling, cargo and warehouse services, the company offers passenger transportation services between the airport and the city center. Transferring its know-how and experience into its services through qualified human resources, Havaş operates with a customer satisfaction-oriented approach, providing uninterrupted 24/7 service in compliance with global security standards.
Havaş prepares its employees for field operations using training simulators, which are used for the first time in the ground handling industry in Türkiye, and places refresher training, e-learning, and personal development projects at the core of its human resources policy.
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