TURKEY. Istanbul Airport is continuing its preparations to open a third runway by 18 June, with an official application to begin operations filed with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
The move will boost aircraft capacity while lifting commercial dwell times (once traffic returns post-COVID-19), as flagged by Unifree Duty Free in a recent interview with The Moodie Davitt Report.
“This is an important development,” Unifree Duty Free CEO Ali Şenher told us during a visit in February. The expansion will extend landings/takeoffs from 80 per hour currently to over 120, and will allow for reduced aircraft taxi times [these will fall by -50%]. This in turn will enhance passenger throughout and dwell time.
When completed, this will make Istanbul only the second airport in Europe capable of operating three independent runways in parallel, after Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
Simulations have shown that average landing times will decrease from 15 to 11 minutes, while average takeoff time will decrease from 22 to 15 minutes.
The number of fully operational runways at Istanbul Airport will rise to five, comprising three independent and two standby runways. The new runway will also improve slot flexibility for airline companies and allow the airport to host an average of over 2,800 landings and take-offs per day.
İGA Airport Operation Chief Executive Officer and General Manager Kadri Samsunlu said: “This has been a difficult year for the aviation industry, but we see this compulsory break as an opportunity to maximise passengers’ travel experience at Istanbul Airport.
“We expect the stagnation we have been experiencing for the last couple of months to resolve very soon. Our new runway will be immensely helpful in that sense. We are proud to get this phase completed in a timely manner, just as has been the case for all stages of construction. There will be serious reductions in domestic taxi times, which had been criticised during our operations.
“Now, all our passengers will get a perfect customer experience at Istanbul Airport…through excellent comfort and time savings. Istanbul Airport is the largest infrastructure investment ever put into practice in the history of Turkey and the most significant economic asset of our nation. Istanbul Airport will be a locomotive force in the future development of our country.”
