Istanbul is aiming to be the world’s largest stopover hub, with its Istanbul New Airport. The new airport will eventually have six runways and is targeted to serve an eventual capacity of 200 million passengers per year.
Currently, the construction is divided in four phases. Phase 1a is scheduled to be completed in 2018; by then, Istanbul New Airport – a working name for now – will house the world’s biggest terminal covering a massive area of 11 million square feet, and have the capability to serve 90 million passengers a year. (Singapore’s Changi Airport sees about 55.4 million passengers a year.) One of the highlights will be its duty-free shop, said to be the world’s biggest.
Photo © Nordic-Grimshaw-Haptic.
Photo © Nordic-Grimshaw-Haptic.
The new airport will be located 22 miles outside Istanbul with a direct link to Istanbul’s metro system. The current Ataturk Airport is situated 13 miles southwest of the city centre.
A tulip-shaped air traffic control tower has been chosen as the design in December last year. Photo © IGA.
When the final phase is completed in 2028, Istanbul New Airport will be one of the busiest international airports in the world, particularly serving as a hub for European and Asian flights.
