ISTANBUL: The new Istanbul airport, which partially opened in October, last year, will begin full passenger operations on March 3, operating company IAG said.
The new airport will replace the current Istanbul Atatürk Airport when it becomes fully operational, at which time the old airport will close for scheduled passenger flights.
“We are all ready for the occasion,” said Kadri Samsunlu, Chief Executive Officer of İGA Airport Operations.
“As a major hub at the intersection of Asia, Europe and the Middle East, we will bring the world closer together,” Samsunlu said.
“With an initial capacity to serve 90 million people, which will be expanded to 200 million once all phases are completed, Istanbul Airport will be the biggest airport in the world.”
Atlanta Airport is currently the busiest airport serving the highest number of passengers with 104 million passengers per year. Istanbul Airport also overrides its competitors with its size. The airport is 3.5 times as big as Beijing Airport, which has an area of 23 million-sq-m.
“Our challenge is to be the biggest and the best,” Samsunlu said.
