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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Thursday he will attend TEKNOFEST 2025, billed as the world's largest aviation, space and technology festival, at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport.
Writing on X, Erdogan invited all citizens, "especially our young brothers and sisters," to visit the festival to "experience this pride and excitement together."
The announcement came as defense industry officials highlighted the festival's role in developing Türkiye's next generation of technology workers through what they call the "National Technology Initiative."
TEKNOFEST Istanbul entered its second day Thursday, drawing massive crowds to competitions spanning 64 main categories and 150 subcategories. More than 1.1 million competitors participated this year, with over 500,000 teams competing across events held on more than 1 million square meters of outdoor space and 80,000 square meters of indoor venues.
Since its inception, TEKNOFEST has welcomed more than 11 million visitors. Last year's event in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus drew approximately 250,000 attendees, while a naval showcase called "TEKNOFEST Blue Homeland" featured Turkish frigates, submarines and the restored Savarona yacht.
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Haluk Gorgun , head of Türkiye's Presidency of Defense Industries, described the National Technology Initiative as "perhaps one of our most valuable projects."
"We are preparing the human resources today who will develop the technologies needed in the future," Gorgun told reporters at the festival grounds.
The festival has evolved far beyond its defense industry origins, now encompassing health technologies, agriculture, transportation, communications, smart city planning and 5G networks. New competitions this year include 3D technology in oncology, secure communications challenges, and agricultural technology clusters.
Türkiye's defense industry workforce averages 34 years old, making it one of the world's youngest in the sector. Gorgun said young people participating in TEKNOFEST competitions have advantages their older colleagues lacked.
"The young people participating in these competitions, I tell them: your brothers and sisters who are 5-10 years older than you are developing these projects. You are more advantaged because when they were in high school and university, such competitions did not exist," he said.
The defense official emphasized that TEKNOFEST participants aged "from 7 to 77" come together with "a passion for technology."
Gorgun also outlined the National Competency Initiative, a comprehensive training program approved by Türkiye's Defense Industry Executive Committee under presidential directive. The program spans from high schools to universities and includes sector professionals and leaders, aiming to build technical capabilities for future defense needs.
"Many internationally recognized ventures have emerged from TEKNOFEST competitions," Gorgun said. "We want these to multiply and become even stronger."
The festival, organized by the Ministry of Industry and Technology and the T3 Foundation with Anadolu Agency as global communications partner, continues through the weekend at Ataturk Airport.
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