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Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan drives a golf cart with his wife Emine Erdogan and officials at the inauguration ceremony of the new Istanbul Airport in Istanbul, Turkey on October 29, 2018. Kayhan Ozer / Office Press Release / Support via REUTERS
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – President Tayyip Erdogan on Monday opened a new $ 11.7 billion airport near Istanbul which, according to officials, will be one of the busiest in the world, although delays mean that it will not be fully operational until January.
The airport will accommodate 90 million passengers a year and can be expanded to accommodate 200 million people, said Erdogan.
However, during the first two months, it will only be used for a few flights to Turkey, Azerbaijan and northern Cyprus – a setback for the authorities hailing it as a centerpiece of the boom in construction that has Led the rapid economic growth during the fifteen years of Erdogan. rule.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Erdogan said the center would call "Istanbul Airport" and reinforce Turkey's integration. in the global economy.
"With the operation of the Istanbul airport, the European airspace will have to be restructured," he said, adding that he expected to it is used for a large number of intercontinental flights.
The airport has been criticized for its working conditions and safety standards. In February, the Ministry of Labor announced that 27 workers had died since construction began in 2015 and that last month the police arrested hundreds of workers protesting.
Former Minister of Transport Ahmet Arslan initially stated that all flights to and from Ataturk Airport in Istanbul – one of the five most active in Europe – would be transferred to the new airport in the 48 hours after opening Monday.
But the flagship airline, Turkish Airlines, now indicates that only a few flights to Ankara, Izmir and Antalya, as well as international flights to northern Cyprus and the United States. Azerbaijan will use the new airport at the moment. His other itineraries will remain at Ataturk for the rest of the year.
Istanbul is a major hub for transit flights, this year attracting lucrative transfer traffic from major Gulf airports, while Turkey is recovering from security concerns, according to the company's data analysis firm. Forward Keys travel.
Report by Ali Kucukgocmen; Edited by Kevin Liffey
