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.

Brian Pascus

Nov 2, 2018, 03:09 IST

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.

On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan opened the new Istanbul Airport, a major public works project that is the culmination of Erdogan's 15-year building spree.
At the price of $11.7 billion, the new Istanbul Airport will be one of the world's busiest.
iGA, the developer of the project, expects the airport to serve 90 million passengers in the first phase of construction, and anticipates that number to rise to 200 million passengers in three terminals once the fourth phase is completed
"We have completed this project," Erdogan declared at the ceremony, according to The Independent, "and we are officially launching the first stage. We did not build the Istanbul airport for our country. It is a great service we are offering to the region and the world."

On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan opened the new Istanbul Airport, a major public works project that is the culmination of Erdogan's 15-year building spree.

At a price of $11.7 billion, the new Istanbul airport will be one of the world's busiest.

"We have completed this project," The Independent reports Erdogan declared at the ceremony, "and we are officially launching the first stage. We did not build the Istanbul airport for our country. It is a great service we are offering to the region and the world."

The new Istanbul Airport was constructed and will be operated by iGA, a joint-venture consortium that was awarded a contract in 2013 and will be continually improving upon the airport over 25 years, according to iGA's website.

iGA anticipates the new Istanbul Airport to serve more than 100 airline companies and reach over 300 destinations, though it is unclear if these numbers account for the entire score of the project.

iGA, who developed the project, expects the airport to serve 90 million passengers in the first phase of construction, and anticipates that number to rise to 200 million passengers in three terminals once the fourth phase is completed.

With phase one of the project completed this week, iGA expects all four phases to be completed between 2025 and 2027, when the airport plans to become "a new center of international aviation," as the Board of Directors wrote in a public letter.

The airport will utilize some of the newest technology emerging in a variety of sectors. According to iGA, information technology solutions featured at the airport will include BIM (Building Information Modelling), virtual reality, augmented reality, smart kiosks, and social media enabled services.

Take a look at some photos and renderings below which showcase the inauguration ceremony of the new Istanbul Airport as well as some interior and exterior shots.

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

The airport cost $11.7 billion to build and is the largest public works project in Turkey's history.

The airport will replace Kamal Ataturk International Airport, which will be closed to commercial flights but still be used for aviation fairs.

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.

The new Istanbul Airport will eventually cover an area of 76.5 million square meters, or about 823,439,146 square feet.

And will be located north of the city center with highways, subways, bus terminals, and speed rail among the transportation options.

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.

The architectural style of the terminals will reflect the style found in Istanbul’s mosques, baths, domes, and other historic buildings and monuments.

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."

The new airport is set to eventually handle as many as 200 million passengers a year once all four phases of construction are completed.

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.

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.

iGA states it will hire a total of 1.5 million persons once the project is launched.

The new Istanbul Airport will host flights to more than 350 destinations and feature 143 passenger boarding bridges.

The airport will boast 468 check-in desks, 228 passport control counters, and 51 bag drop units.

The air traffic control tower is inspired by the tulip, a symbol of Turkish-Islamic identity and history.

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.

Full operation of the airport has been pushed back a couple months to December 31, 2018.

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."

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