Istanbul Airport is located to the north of the town of Arnavutkoy in Eastern Thrace and is the largest airport in Turkey.
All scheduled commercial airline flights were transferred from Ataturk Airport to Istanbul Airport on 6 April 2019, after the former was closed for scheduled passenger flights.[3] The IATA code of the former airport, IST, was also transferred to the new airport.[4] Once all phases of the airport’s construction are completed by the mid-2020s, the airport will have the capacity to serve 200 million passengers per year.
Background
Due to excessive air traffic congestion at Ataturk International Airport, the Turkish Airports Authority decided to build a new airport to serve Istanbul.
Construction
The tender for the construction and operation of the facility by the mid-2020s was held on 3 May 2013. The project consists of four construction phases. If all stages are completed, the airport will reach 200 million passengers, making it the largest in the world at the time of planning. The first stage of construction was planned to be completed within 42 months of land delivery. The total cost of the project is expected to be around €7 billion, excluding financing costs. The construction and operation consortium has been guaranteed 342 million passengers over 12 years by the government.
The design team came from London-based Grimshaw and also included the Nordic Office of Architecture based in Norway and Haptic studio in London.
The opening of the airport took place on the scheduled date of 29 October 2018. It was reported that the first test landing at the airport would take place on 26 February 2018. However, the first landing took place on 20 June 2018. The testing of navigation and electronic systems with DHMİ aircraft had started on 15 May 2018. The control tower has the shape of the Turkish national flower, the tulip.
Facilities
The airport currently has one terminal for domestic and international flights and four operational runways. The two runways 17/35 are 4100 metres long, while runways 16/34 are 3750 metres long. Runways 17L/35R and 16R/34L are 60 meters (197 feet) wide, while 17R/35L and 16L/34R are 45 meters (45 feet) wide. All runway surfaces are asphalt.
Transfer costs from Istanbul Airport
There is no predetermined fare for a taxi from Istanbul Airport to the city centre. Instead, the cost for your transfer will be determined based on the taxi meter reading, depending on the distance you travel. The total price will therefore be around 30€ during the day and 35€ at night. However, the fare may increase significantly due to the heavy and daily traffic on the streets of Istanbul and extra charges may be imposed for waiting time and luggage. Therefore, the only way to be sure to secure a fixed price for your transfer and to avoid any stress and anxiety is to book your Istanbul airport taxi in advance.