24.5.2016
Binali Yıldırım was born on December 20, 1955, in the Refahiye district of Erzincan. He graduated from Istanbul Technical University's Faculty of Naval Architecture and Maritime Sciences and completed his master's degree in the same department. He worked as an assistant and research assistant at Istanbul Technical University's Faculty of Naval Architecture and Maritime Sciences.
Between 1978 and 1993, he held various managerial positions at the General Directorate of Turkish Shipbuilding Industry and Camialtı Shipyard.
Between 1990 and 1991, he received specialized training at the World Maritime University (WMU) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in Sweden on Ship Safety and Property Management at Sea. During this training, he conducted inspections for a total of 6 months in various country ports in Scandinavian countries and Europe alongside maritime administration experts.
Between 1994 and 2000, he served as the General Manager of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality's Istanbul Sea Buses Operations (İDO). During this tenure, he spearheaded significant projects to shift public transportation in Istanbul to the sea. These included opening the Istanbul-Yalova and Bandırma lines, commissioning the Adnan Menderes and Turgut Özal fast ferries, and adding a total of 29 piers/terminals, 22 sea buses, and 4 ferries to Istanbul, positioning İDO among the world's largest companies in the field.
In 1999, he was deemed worthy of the international "Skal Club" quality award for his contributions to sea public transportation and tourism.
In the general election on November 3, 2002, he entered parliament as an AK Party Istanbul MP and served as the Minister of Transport in the 58th and 59th AK Party governments.
In the general election on July 22, 2007, he was elected as an AK Party Erzincan MP and continued his role as Minister of Transport in the 60th AK Party government.
In the general election on June 12, 2011, he was elected as an AK Party Izmir MP and continued his cabinet role as the Minister of Transport, Maritime Affairs, and Communications in the 61st AK Party government.
In the local elections on March 30, 2014, he was the AK Party candidate for Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor.
In the general election on November 1, 2015, he was re-elected as an AK Party Izmir MP and became the Minister of Transport, Maritime Affairs, and Communications in the 64th Government.