Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 27
By Rufiz Hafizoglu – Trend:
The last flight will be operated from Istanbul Ataturk Airport on October 28, 2018, the Turkish media cited the country’s civil aviation sources as saying Nov. 27.
Reportedly, the last flight from the airport will be commercial. Presently, work is also underway to transport equipment from the Ataturk Airport to the new airport in Istanbul.
The first phase of the airport will be commissioned on Oct. 29, 2018. After commissioning, the number of flight destinations in Turkey will increase from 282 to 350. The new airport will annually serve about 200 million passengers.
After the launch of the new airport, the Istanbul Ataturk Airport will no longer function as an airport.
Meanswhile, the construction of the first runway of the new airport continues. According to the airport’s construction project, the second runway will be 4.1 kilometers long and 60 meters wide.
Currently, construction and assembling work is underway to build 28 bridges and a hydrometeorological tower at the airport. More than 31,000 employees are involved in construction. About 300 passenger and service elevators will be installed at Istanbul’s third airport.
"AIRPORT CITY", which will include a network of shops, logistics and exhibition centers, will be also built at the new airport. Limak-Kolin-Cengiz-MaPa-Kalyon consortium of companies won the tender for construction of the airport.
Earlier, a source in the Turkish Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications told Trend that the construction of the airport will cost 10 billion Turkish liras.
Turkey's Ziraat Bankasi allocated 1.54 billion euros for the airport's construction, while Halkbank and Vakifbank - 1 billion euros, Denizbank - 500 million euros, Garanti and Finansbank - 300 million euros.
The third airport is being built near the Lake Terkos in northern Istanbul. The first airport in Turkey was built in 1912 and was used for military purposes.
For the first time the Istanbul airport was opened for international flights in 1953 and in 1985 it was renamed in honor of founder of the Turkish Republic Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
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