Travel News

The New Mega Istanbul Airport Will Open March 3… Or, Will It?

New Istanbul airport
Written by Charlie

The new, mega Istanbul Airport is shaping up to be one of the largest in the world but it has already faced one opening delay. With the set opening in just over a month, will it open on time?

The new Istanbul Airport is supposed to be one of the largest in the world, initially serving 95 million passengers annually. That number is estimate to jump to 200 million passengers after the second phase of the airport is complete in the next 10 years.

The New Mega Istanbul Airport Will Open March 3

The airport had a soft opening for a few, domestic destinations back in October. They have since added 10 more Turkish Airline destinations, including some in Europe. The airport was supposed to open completely at the start of this year but that open date was pushed back.

New Istanbul airport

The new Istanbul Airport, courtesy of IG Airport

At the time of the delay, it was said that it would open March 3. The minister today again reaffirmed that date and said that all the equipment will be transferred, starting March 1, for the March 3 opening.

… Or, Will It?

According to some reports, some of the delay is due to the ground the airport was built on as portions of it have caved in and they needed to reinforce the foundation with more fill. Another reason has to do with flooding. Earlier this month, the airport saw a lot of flooding and, according to some experts, this could be cause for the airport to be delayed yet again.

A member of the government opposition party says that he thinks the airport opening could be delayed up to another 2 years from now. Although, this is politics and this airport is seen as a major project for the Turkish president so I would expect the oppposition party to say something like that. 🙂 But, then again, could it be delayed again if there are fundamental problems ongoing and not just a logistics problem?

Progress Being Made By Turkish Airlines

On the positive side, Turkish Airlines announced today that they have opened 5 major facilities on the grounds of the new airport, operational facilities that cover over 538,000 square feet. This is certainly a move in the right direction as we are now just over 40 days from the set opening date of the new Istanbul airport.

I am looking forward to the new airport, and, of course, the new lounges! I have spent a lot of time in the current Turkish Airlines Business Class lounge (I think it is one of the best business class lounges in the world!) and had actually had a trip planned to check out the new airport and lounges before they pushed the opening date. 🙁 Oh, well, I will certainly be visiting it soon after opening anyway!

Oh, and chances are pretty good you will be visiting it as well! Did you know that Turkish Airlines flies to more countries than any other airline – 121 countries in total?

Featured image courtesy of IG Airports

Some of the links on Running with Miles are affiliate links that pay a commission if a purchase is made. Running with Miles is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

About the author

Charlie

Charlie has been an avid traveler and runner for many years. He has run in marathons around the world for less than it would cost to travel to the next town - all as a result of collecting and using miles and points. Over the years, he has flown hundreds of thousands of miles and collected millions of miles and points.
Now he uses this experience and knowledge to help others through Running with Miles.

1 Comment

  • Or it’s one way for Erdogan to siphon money. Easy to do in big projects.

    Can’t believe people world over (including usa) are electing stupid [edited].