Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan. 17 / Trend A.Taghiyeva /
Turkey will announce a tender for the construction of a third airport in Istanbul province, Turkish Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications Minister Binali Yıldırım said on Thursday, Anadolu agency reported.
He said preliminary preparation for the construction of the airport is already underway. The airport's construction site and its primary value have been determined, Yildirim said.
The minister said that this project is one of Turkey's most ambitious projects in the transportation field.
The third airport in Istanbul will be built near Terkos Lake in the north of the city, Istanbul mayor Kadir Topbas said previously.
Topbas said the transport capacity of the airport will be 150 million passengers a year.
Earlier, the Air Transport Department under the Turkish Ministry of Transport, Shipping and Communications told Trend that the construction of a third airport in Istanbul will cost ten billion Lira.
The ministry also stressed that at the first stage, the airport will have the capacity to serve 90 million people a year. Later, this figure will be increased to 150 million people.