New airport, new face of Turkey

Istanbul Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has inaugurated a new airport in Istanbul, which, according to the government, will become "the largest in the world" and a symbol of the megaprojects of infrastructure that have transformed Turkey since it came to power .

"I hope that the airport (…) will be beneficial for our region and for the world," Erdogan said at a pompous ceremony, adding that he "s sure that the airport will be good for us. would call Istanbul.

"Istanbul is not only the name of the largest city of our country, but also of its most important brand (…) That's why we called Istanbul this great job," said President.

Leaders from Balkan and Central Asian countries, as well as from the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and controversial Sudanese President Omar el Bashir, accused of genocide by the Criminal Court International, were present at the ceremony. .

The new infrastructure, which will replace Ataturk's saturated international airport, will initially have a capacity of 90 million passengers a year. Thus, it will be one of the top five airports in the world.

President Erdogan closely followed its construction, on the European side of Istanbul, near the Black Sea, marked by delays and a workers' strike demanding better working conditions.

Goal: 200 million passengers

When the four phases of construction and expansion are completed, by 2028, the airport will have six lanes and two terminals in a gigantic space of 76 square kilometers.

The new airport will then accommodate up to 200 million passengers a year. That is almost double the Atlanta US airport, which currently occupies the top spot, with 103.9 million euros.

The building, which cost 10.5 billion euros, is futuristic, with glass walls, curved lines and state-of-the-art equipment.

With the third bridge over the Bosphorus and the tunnel under the same strait inaugurated in 2016, the airport is part of the major infrastructure projects fiercely defended by Erdogan, who wants to turn Turkey for the centenary of the Republic in 2023..