New Istanbul Airport Operational – Atatürk Airport Closed

As of 7 April 2019, the new Istanbul Airport (IST) is operational and the only airport on the European side of Istanbul for commercial passenger airlines! New Istanbul Airport is Istanbul’s third international airport. After several delays, the move from Atatürk Airport to Istanbul Airport was completed by midnight on April 7.

Where is Istanbul Airport?

Istanbul Airport covers a land of 76.5 million square meters on the northern European side of the city, close to the Black Sea in the Arnavutköy district.

The airport is about 52 km away from the Sultanahmet Square. There is currently no metro or tramway line going to the airport from the city centre. The earliest projected launch date for the new metro line is the end of 2019. Until then IETT and Havaist bus lines are the only available public transportation options.

Additionally, the company which was founded to construct and operate Istanbul Airport, Istanbul Grand Airport signed a contract with Istanbul Airport Taxi Association to provide taxis within strict regulations.

Since the idea of the airport was first mentioned, the new airport has been in the line of fire. Its location was a matter of dispute as about 1 million trees had to be cut. Its safeness was criticized due to the abandoned coal mines underneath and the strong north winds of the area.

With a floor space of 1.3 million square meters its one block terminal building gathers international and domestic terminals under one roof. It is the biggest one building airport of the world. The airport will host flights to more than 300 destinations with an annual capacity of 200 million passengers once it is completed.