IS not more

Now it's time: In the last two days of the whole operation from Ataturk Airport was transferred to the Istanbul Airport. The new airport and the old exchanged their Iata Codes.

86 years of the Ataturk Airport was the home of Turkish Airlines. At 3 o'clock in the night on Friday, the airline started, however, from its long-standing base to take off. They shifted their operation within a period of 45 hours to approximately 35 kilometers North-West of the new Istanbul Airport. With TK54 to Singapore for your final flight lifted off on early Saturday morning around 2:45 a.m. at the old airport in the West of Istanbul.

After that, both airports took a break. For twelve hours the operation was all set to move from the old to the new hub. More than 1800 people were employed with the project. 47.300 tonnes of equipment and facilities had to be transported from the Ataturk airport to the new airport, Istanbul – of aircraft parts in 5000 truck-tractors with a weight of approximately 44 tonnes to over 10‘000 individual containers. To do this, have been blocked in Istanbul and several major roads for hours.

Age airport for passenger traffic, closed

Since 14 o'clock on the Saturday afternoon (6. April) flying Turkish Airlines solely from and to the Istanbul Airport. The old Ataturk Airport only cargo, maintenance, Private, air taxi, business and diplomatic flights. At midnight, it was closed for passenger traffic. Many Other airlines performed during the relocation phase, no flights to Istanbul, Lufthansa. It supports the Turkish metropolis on Sunday (7. April), and controls the new Airport on the black sea coast.

The official opening of the new airport took place already on 29. October 2018. So it was planned and the date is symbolic. 29. October celebrates the Turkey, their national holiday as a reminder of the proclamation of the Republic in 1923 by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. But the Airport was not really finished. Only a few flights have started since then at the new place. After that, the final opening had to be postponed two Times. Overall, the delay is only about five months, the construction period was approximately 47 months.

Exchange of Iata-Codes

With the completion of the Büyük Göç, the great procession, and exchanged the two Istanbul airports and their Iata codes. The demoted Ataturk Airport took over the ISL, the new Istanbul Airport IS got. However, both have their Icao code: LTBA for the old and LTFM for the new hub.

In the first Phase of the Istanbul Airport is geared towards 90 million passengers per year. The old Ataturk Airport was one of 2018, approximately 68 million passengers. Planned fall Build, after the opening of three more. 2028 will be completed according to the planning of the fourth. Then the Airport could accommodate 200 million passengers per year.

Recordings of the move you see in the above image gallery.

Posted by Jack at .