Istanbul Airport served at least 300,000 passengers since opening

ANKARA

The mega Istanbul Airport has served a total of 372,118 passengers as of March 18, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Cahit Turan has said.

“Of those passengers, 226,000 are domestic and the remaining 146,000 international passengers. The airport also hosted a total of 1,671 flights,” he added.

The minister also said all systems started to be tested five months before the airport opened.

Istanbul Airport, whose first phase was opened on Oct. 29 last year, has the potential to welcome 90 million passengers annually, and following the second phase of construction, expected to be completed in 2023, the number will rise to around 200 million.

It will host flights departing to 350 destinations worldwide including Africa once completed.

The airport has 2.5 million tons of annual cargo capacity and will reach 5.5 million tons when all phases are completed.

Istanbul Airport will employ 225,000 people and at present has 140,000 people working, Turan noted.

The minister reiterated that the transfer of operations from Atatürk Airport to Istanbul Airport will start on April 5 and will be completed on April 7.

“From that day on, all airlines serving domestic and international passengers will use Istanbul Airport. Some 150 shuttle buses will transfer passengers from 18 different locations in Istanbul to the airport,” Turan said.

After the switch, Atatürk Airport will be closed to scheduled and unscheduled domestic and international commercial passenger flights.

On the Kanal Istanbul, another mega infrastructure project, Turan said that the planning phase has been largely completed.

“Detailed plans for all structures, including ports, piers, and commercial spaces, along the canal have been finalized and submitted to the Environment and Urban Planning Ministry.”

The final touches are being put on the environmental impact assessment report regarding the project, according to Turan.

Kanal Istanbul is a 45-kilometer shipping canal that will run parallel to the Bosphorus Strait.

The planned canal is meant to provide relief to shipping traffic between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara, particularly oil tanker traffic passing through the Bosphorus.