Baku, Azerbaijan, May 24
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
A park will be created in place of the Ataturk Airport after the opening of a new airport in Istanbul, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, Turkish media reported May 24.
The new airport’s construction in Istanbul was a necessity, Erdogan said.
Istanbul's Ataturk Airport will stop operating October 31 this year.
An airport is being built near the Lake Terkos in northern Istanbul.
After its commissioning, the number of flight destinations in Turkey will increase from 282 to 350.
The airport's construction will cost 10 billion Turkish liras, the Turkish Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications told Trend earlier.
Turkey’s Ziraat Bankasi allocated 1.54 billion euros for the airport’s construction, while Halkbank and Vakifbank allocated 1 billion euros, Denizbank – 500 million euros, Garanti and Finansbank – 300 million euros each in October 2017.
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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