First, it was October, then the end of December, then March 3 – the new, mega Istanbul airport has kept having the actual real opening moved (it is open for some flights now).
The New Istanbul Airport Has a New Opening Date – Again
There have been rumors about the different reasons why this opening has been delayed. As I wrote about recently, one of the strongest rumors indicated that the latest opening was delayed due to some politician issues. The political issues would be over by the end of March so this could be the reason for the newest Istanbul opening date.
According the reports, the giant 45 hour transfer from Ataturk airport to the new Istanbul airport will begin April 5. This means the actual giant opening of the new Istanbul airport will be April 7.
The transfer will begin at 3:00AM on April 5th and will conclude 12AM on April 7th. During the transfer time, the only airlines that will be allowed to operate out of both airports will be airlines that are based at those airports. Both airports will be reduced to 35 arrivals and departures per hour.
This means that you may want to check with your carrier if you were due to fly to/through Istanbul between April 5 – 7.
The New Istanbul airport is going to be handling about 90 million passengers annually and after completing the second phase, the estimates are for 200 million passengers.
Here’s hoping that the new Istanbul airport does open on April 7!
