THE third airport in Istanbul, will open on Oct. 29, Transport Minister Ahmet Arslan said.
Eighty percent of the construction of the airport, which Turkey says will be one of the world’s biggest, is now complete. The project is designed to accommodate growing traffic in a major hub.
Incoming flights will be directed to the new airport from the existing Atatürk Airport as soon as the new one opens, the agency quoted Arslan saying. The transition to the new site will be completed in 48 hours.
The airport will be large enough for 114 planes to dock at the same time, the minister said, adding that it would employ 225,000 people when fully operational.
Arslan said around $10.2 billion was invested in the project and that it would generate around $22.2 billion in 25 years before value added tax.
Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport is among Europe’s five busiest airports, recovering in 2017 from a downturn in passenger traffic the previous year. It will be closed after the new airport opens.
Istanbul is a major hub for transit flights, attracting lucrative transfer traffic this year from major airports in the Gulf as Turkey recovers from security worries, according to travel data analysis company Forward Keys.
Arslan confirmed the airport will have a capacity for 3,000 flights on a daily basis.
Istanbul is a major hub for transit flights, attracting lucrative transfer traffic this year from major airports in the Gulf as Turkey recovers from security worries, according to travel data analysis company Forward Keys.
When the first phase of the airport is completed, it will have a capacity for 90 million passengers.
With a completion of four stages, the airport is expected to serve 150 million passengers and to provide opportunities for flights to more than 350 destinations for nearly 100 airline companies.
According to the best-case scenario, as of 2025, a total of 120 million passengers, including 35.5 million domestic flights and 84.9 million international flights, were expected to be operated in and out the airport.