A new $11.7 billion airport just opened in Turkey and it could become one of the world's biggest. Take a look inside the giant hub.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a ceremony on October 29, 2018 to inaugurate the opening of the new Istanbul Airport.
Many foreign dignitaries attended the inauguration ceremony for the new airport, which took place on the 95th anniversary of Turkey's establishment as a republic following its war of independence
Source: Associated Press
The airport cost $11.7 billion to build and is the largest public works project in Turkey's history.
Source: HAARETZ and The Independent
The airport will replace Kamal Ataturk International Airport, which will be closed to commercial flights but still be used for aviation fairs.
Source: Reuters
At 1.44 million square meters, the passenger terminal building completed in phase one of the project will be the world's largest terminal building under one roof.
Source: iGA
The new Istanbul Airport will eventually cover an area of 76.5 million square meters, or about 823,439,146 square feet.
Source: iGA
And will be located north of the city center with highways, subways, bus terminals, and speed rail among the transportation options.
Source: iGA
Let's take a look at some renderings of the project from a 3D digitally animated video produced by the operator of the airport, iGA.
Source: iGA
The architectural style of the terminals will reflect the style found in Istanbul’s mosques, baths, domes, and other historic buildings and monuments.
Source: iGA
At the opening ceremony, President Erdogan said, "We did not build the Istanbul airport for our country. It is a great service we are offering to the region and the world."
Source: The Independent
The new airport is set to eventually handle as many as 200 million passengers a year once all four phases of construction are completed.
Source: iGA
In its first phase, the airport expects to handle 90 million passengers a year. In comparison, O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, the second busiest airport in the U.S., handled 79 million passengers last year.
Source: Business Insider and iGA
Once finished, the airport will have a 53,000 square-meter duty-free complex, which will be the largest duty-free shopping area in the world.
Source: iGA
The new Istanbul Airport will host flights to more than 350 destinations and feature 143 passenger boarding bridges.
Source: iGA
The airport will boast 468 check-in desks, 228 passport control counters, and 51 bag drop units.
Source: iGA
The air traffic control tower is inspired by the tulip, a symbol of Turkish-Islamic identity and history.
Source: iGA
Here's another look at the control tower from a different angle.
The first flight took place on October 31, 2018 to the Turkish capital of Ankara. It will be followed by flights to Azerbaijan and North Cyprus respectively.
Source: Associated Press
Full operation of the airport has been pushed back a couple months to December 31, 2018.
Source: Reuters
When all four phases are completed, iGA's Board of Directors wrote they hope the airport will "become the meeting point of 5 continents where the east and the west meet."
Source: iGA
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