Airport serving Antalya and Gökçeada Airport serving Çanakkale were opened in 2010. Zafer Airport serving the cities of Afyonkarahisar, Uşak and Kütahya in 2012, Iğdır Airport also in 2012 and Şırnak Airport followed in 2013. Erhaç Airport in Malatya and Cengiz Topel Airport in Kocaeli, previously operating as military air bases, were opened to civilian air traffic in 2007 and 2011 respectively. Yıldırım was also involved in the construction of the Ordu-Giresun Airport, the third in the world to be built on an artificial island and the only one in Turkey and Europe, eventually opened on 22 May 2015. He was also involved in the initial phases of the Istanbul Airport project to be opened in 2018, which is due to become the largest in the world. Maritime projects One of the most prevalent projects commissioned by the AKP government was the establishment of a new artificial waterway, running parallel to the Bosphorus and linking the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea. The project, named Kanal İstanbul was described by former Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as the party's 'crazy project', being one of the most prominent goals for the party's 2023 vision. The government initially started discreet studies into the project's viability and possible routes, with Yıldırım announcing plans in 2009. The project was officially inaugurated by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in 2011. By 2016, Yıldırım announced that five possible routes for the project had been identified. However, he denied that the final route had been confirmed and warned investors to not engage in speculative asset purchases. In addition to Kanal İstanbul, Yıldırım also presided over various upgrades to the country's existing waterways and ferry services. İzmir obtained new car and passenger ferries in 2013 and 2014, while a new ferry terminal was opened at Tuzla for İDO ferry services to Yalova. Yıldırım also presided over privatisation of the state commercial ferry services, with the newspaper Yeni Şafak, although currently pro-government, alleging that Yıldırım had given unlawful concessions to TAV Airports Holding in 2012 when the Holding was purchasing İDO from the state. In 2015, Yıldırım announced plans to introduce positive discrimination for women mariners. Government surveillance and censorship In 2011, the portfolio of communications was officially added to Yıldırım's brief. As the Minister responsible for Transport, Maritime and Communication, Yıldırım oversaw significant government censorship of the Internet and greater government surveillance. In response to criticism of growing government surveillance,