Hamburgers at Istanbul Airport are sold for only half the price of a plane ticket – and something needs to be done about this lawlessness. Turkish media write about this, citing outraged tourists. “Hamburgers, which cost a little less than a plane ticket on domestic flights, and water, which is sold for 8 times the price of regular water, anger not only Turkish passengers, but also foreign visitors who pay in euros,” said Aziz Kochal, chairman of the Federation of Consumer associations (TÜDEF).

The point is also that prices at the Istanbul airport have almost doubled in dollar terms. When the depreciation of the lira is taken into account, the rise in prices is huge.

At the beginning of December last year, when the dollar was worth 13.80 Turkish lira, the cheapest hamburger was sold for 66 lira, or $4.75, now it costs 119 lira, or $8.09, while the dollar costs 14.70 Turkish lira . And half a liter of water, which is sold on the street for 2 lira, is sold at the airport for 16.25 lira.

“Tourists are asked to be at the airport at least four hours before departure due to the large space of the airport, as a result, they leave six hours before departure when calculating the road. The only place where you can eat something on this trip is the airport, and the water will be confiscated at the control. The tourist is at the mercy of greedy domestic sellers, and not necessarily a healthy tourist. This situation does not allow the tourist to get food and can be dangerous for his health!” Turkish experts are indignant.

The duty of the Unfair Price Assessment Board is to intervene in such exorbitant prices, they say. “What scope do airports fall under and is this board turning a blind eye to the prices that the whole world is talking about? Why are our complaints not being taken seriously?” they complain in Turkey.