Istanbul’s third airport to be opened on Feb 26, 2018: PM Yıldırım

ISTANBUL

The first section of Istanbul’s third airport will be opened on Feb. 26, 2018, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım announced on Dec. 20.

“God willing, we will put our new airport into use on Feb. 26, 2018,” Yıldırım said at the opening ceremony of the Eurasia Tunnel, which will cross under Istanbul’s Bosphorus linking the European side with the Asian side.

The opening date of the third airport coincides with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s 64th birthday.

Around 6 billion euros is currently being spent on construction of the first section, with around 2.4 billion euros spent so far, including VAT, according to Istanbul Grand Airport CEO Yusuf Akçayoğlu.

The new under-construction airport in Istanbul is planned to have two runways and one terminal. It is expected to reach a capacity of 150 million passengers after the completion of two more runways and additional facilities.

Once the first section opens, around 2,000 airplanes will be able to land and take off daily. The first section will also have a passenger capacity of 90 million and a terminal building that covers an area of 1.3 million square meters.