Istanbul’s new 1.47 million-square-metre airport is causing headaches for the Turkish government, which is facing a severe economic crisis, as well as labourers, businesses and airlines forced to adapt to a project that is as much a major infrastructure upgrade as a symbol of the leadership and accomplishments of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party. “If you look at what the UAE is trying to do or what Qatar is trying to do, their major competitor is Turkey,” said James Dorsey, a Middle East specialist and senior fellow at the RSIS at NTU Singapore.