OREANDA-NEWS. Miami-Dade Aviation Director Emilio T. Gonzalez was honored to host Consul General of Turkey Volkan Karagoz at Miami International Airport yesterday. Karagoz heads Turkey's recently opened Consulate General in Miami, the nation's sixth such office in the United States.

Gonzalez and Karagoz discussed future opportunities to connect the Gateway of the Americas with Istanbul, the historic gateway linking Asia and Europe, which is now one of the world's fastest-growing hubs for air travel. With a central location straddling two continents, Istanbul is home to two international airports, and air traffic demand is so strong that a third major international airport is in the planning phase. Gonzalez plans to travel to Istanbul in the coming months to hold further talks with corporate and government leaders regarding the possibility of direct passenger flights between Miami and Turkey's largest city.

"It was an honor to host Consul General Karagoz at MIA yesterday," said Gonzalez. "The fact that Turkey has opened a new consulate here in Miami speaks directly to the growing leisure and business 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."