It’s award-winning and already hit with controversies. Istanbul’s new airport was officially inaugurated on Monday, October 29, on the national republic holiday of Turkey, although it won’t be fully functioning until the end of the year.
Istanbul’s third airport and the world’s largest terminal will serve with half of its capacity for a while until other segments are fully completed.
When it is completed, the new airport will assume most of the passenger traffic from Ataturk International Airport and Sabiha Gokcen Airport hosting 250 airlines flying to more than 350 destinations, making it the world’s largest transport hub.
When the first phase is completed in 2018, it will have the world’s largest terminal under one roof, with a gross floor area of nearly 11 million square feet and the ability to serve 90 million passengers a year.
Upon completion of all phases, the airport is expected to be the busiest in the world, with flights to over 350 destinations and, eventually, an annual capacity of 200 million passengers.
