Istanbul New Airport has released a video showing the switching on of the lights on its first runway.
The airport says it has now completed 80 per cent of its initial development phase, including the construction of the airport’s baggage handling system, ahead of a planned opening on October 29 this year.
Located in the Arnavutköy district on the European side of Istanbul, the facility will initially handle 90 million passengers across 100 airlines, using three runways, with eventual plans to expand the airport up to a capacity of 150 million passengers and six runways.
The existing Istanbul Atatürk Airport is scheduled to close when Istanbul New Airport opens later this year, with the new facility taking on the ‘IST’ IATA airport code.
The new airport will also feature an air traffic control tower inspired by the tulip, one of the symbols of Istanbul.