Ministry takes over military property next to Istanbul airport

ISTANBUL

Hürriyet photo

The controversial land dispute revolving around the Turkish Armed Forces property next to Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport has recently been settled, after military officials agreed to turn the property over to the Ministry of Transportation, daily Zaman has reported.

Ongoing plans have been focusing on the change of the military status of the land in order to include the property in future construction, reportedly aimed at easing the traffic congestion around the airport, as meetings with Turkey’s Air Force Academy continued on the matter.

The Ministry of Defense approved the transfer in a surprise move, allowing the property to be converted to civilian property.

Officials claimed the planned construction will allow a larger space for landing and taking off, easing the air traffic at the airport and thereby preventing delays. Turkey’s State Airport Directorate has been refusing to allow landings of national and foreign airline companies, citing traffic as the main cause.