Everyone knows the saying that they are greeted by clothes, you can safely change the tourist mood - they are greeted at the airport, escorted by color! But it is, the airport is the face of the city. And when it comes to such large tourist cities as Istanbul, then the requirements for the airport are set accordingly.
Epigraph of majestic Istanbul
Istanbul is a city with a unique and beautiful history, which was founded in 667 BC. e. and until 1930 it bore the proud name of Constantinople, being the capital of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires at the time of their greatest prosperity. It is not surprising that many mistakenly call it the capital of Turkey, because it is one of the largest cities in this extraordinary country. Its area is 5343 square meters. km, and the population is more than 14 million people.
Istanbul is a large box of historical values stored in the museums of the city, the number of which, together with architectural sights, is half of the cultural and historical heritage of all of Turkey. So, in Istanbul, ancient Christian churches, Muslim mosques, fortresses, Sultan's palaces are still preserved, and a special place is occupied by a unique temple built entirely of iron - St. Stephen the Bulgarian Cathedral. In addition, Istanbul has the largest indoor market in the world - the old Grand Bazaar, which has more than 3,000 stores.
But despite the antiquity and clearly traceable spirit of the time, Istanbul is a very developed city that keeps up to date. For example, the metro in Istanbul was built in 1875 and is considered one of the oldest in the world after London and New York.
Everything is fascinating in Istanbul, even its amazing geography. The famous Bosphorus Strait attracts tourists from all over the world, becoming an inspiration for artists, writers, musicians. In addition, the Bosphorus Strait is part of the equally unique geography of the city, dividing it in half and simultaneously located in two parts of the world - in Europe and Asia. It is this mixture of two different cultures on the same land that gives Istanbul its unique charm and charm. It is called “the city on the Bosphorus”, which is annually visited by more than 6 million tourists.
How to get to Istanbul
The geographical location of the "city on the Bosphorus" left its mark on the development of air transport of the city. Thus, today Istanbul serves two international airports:
- In the European part, this is İstanbul Atatürk Havalimanı airport (the airport code for ICAO is LTBA and for IATA ist).
- In the Asian part, this is İstanbul Sabiha Gökçen Havalimanı Airport (with LTFJ codes for ICAO and SAW for IATA).
Given the large passenger flow, in 2012 it was decided to build a third airport for unloading Ataturk and Sabiha airports. By the way, their total passenger flow is more than 80 million passengers per year.
Let's consider each of them in more detail.
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk Airport
Istanbul Ataturk International Airport, named after the first president of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, is located in the European part of Istanbul, 24 km from the city center and is one of the largest airports in Europe. The history of the airport dates back to 1924, when it was used exclusively for military purposes. The first flights of civilian aircraft began in 1938, and in 1953 a new terminal was opened for international flights.
Today Ataturk is a large airport with an area of 9.5 million square meters, with developed infrastructure and an annual passenger flow of more than 60 million people. Its convenient location on the coast of the Sea of Marmara allows you to easily reach it:
- On the light underground metro in a straight line from Aksaray station, right to Ataturk Airport, the journey will take 30-35 minutes for 4 Turkish lira (~ 70 rubles).
- On regular buses, the road will take 40-50 minutes for 12 Turkish liras (~ 204 rubles). The best in this business are special express buses Havatas (Havatash).
- By taxi - the most expensive way to get to the airport, but the fastest - in just half an hour you can get to the central square for 50-60 Turkish liras (~ 1000 rubles).
- You can also rent a car and get to the airport on your own via the coastal road, the D-100 international road and the TEM (Trans-European Motorway) European Motorway.
The infrastructure of Ataturk Airport includes not only everything you need, but also high comfort rooms, hotels, cafes and restaurants with a variety of national and European cuisine, Duty Free shops, souvenir stands, WI-FI coverage, information desks, ATMs, pharmacies , luggage storage, luggage packing, currency exchange, car rental and much more.
Ataturk Airport has more than one hundred airlines operating its flights. Among them:
- AEROFLOT RUSSIAN AIRLINES.
- AIR FRANCE.
- AIR CANADA.
- BRITISH AIRWAYS.
- DEUTSCHE LUFTHANSA AG.
- EMIRATES.
- PEGASUS AIRLINES.
- ROSSIYA AIRLINES.
- TURKISH AIRLINES.
- UKRAINE INTERNATIONAL AIRLINE and others.
Sabiha Gokcen Airport
Istanbul's second international airport - Sabiha Gokcen - is located in the Asian part of the city, 35 km from the center. The airport bears the name of the first Turkish female military pilot - Sabiha Gokcen, who was also the adopted daughter of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
The construction of the Sabiha airport in Istanbul began in 1998, and in January 2001 it was put into operation. The main reason for the start of construction of the second airport was the ever-increasing passenger flow in Ataturk Airport, which was then the only one at that time. In 2008, construction of another terminal began, and in 2009 it was put into operation. So, today the Istanbul Gokcen Airport with an area of 200 thousand square meters. m serves more than 28 million passengers a year.
Unlike Ataturk Airport, the location of Sabiha Airport has an inconvenient transport interchange, the main disadvantage of which is the lack of a subway. However, you can get to the airport in other ways:
- On buses that often run from the center and back. By the way, this is also the most budgetary way.
- On the Havatas express shuttles. As in the case of Ataturk Airport, this is the fastest, most convenient and reliable way to travel.
- By taxi is also an expensive way to get to and from the airport.
- On the bus - the main public transport of Istanbul. He moves quickly and rarely stands in traffic jams. But you need to get to his stop by bus KM22.
The infrastructure of the Sabiha airport is highly developed and meets all modern passenger requirements. In the arsenal of the airport are numerous duty-free shops, cafes and restaurants, pharmacies and first-aid posts, a mother and child room, currency exchange services, ATMs, WI-FI, racks for recharging gadgets, parking services and hotels. In addition, the airport is equipped with ramps for people with disabilities.
Sabiha Gokcen Airport is the base airport of Pegasus Airlines and a hub for Turkish Airlines - the main carrier of Turkey.
Third Istanbul Airport
The popularity of Turkish resorts is growing every year, and therefore passenger traffic at airports is also growing, which often act as connecting flights for various flights.
Therefore, in June 2014, the Istanbul authorities decided to build a third airport, which, along with the Sabiha Gokcen airport, is designed to unload Ataturk airport.
According to the plans of the authorities, the new airport will have to show a capacity of up to 150 million people a year, which is likely to make it the first largest in Europe and the fifth in the world. It is planned that 6 runways will be opened at the new airport.
The location of the new airport in the European part of Istanbul is its great advantage in connection with the convenient transport infrastructure of this part of the city. In addition, simultaneously with the construction of the airport, new transport routes will be built that should directly connect the airport to the city center. This will include automobile and railway lines, which will bring the flow of transport to the new, third bridge over the Bosphorus, currently under construction.
Also, the Turkish authorities submitted a project for the construction of a new metro line leading to the third airport of Istanbul. It is planned that it will have a length of 33 km, which will reduce the path to the airport from different parts of the city from 40 minutes to 1 hour.
In addition, the new airport will make a significant contribution both to the economy and to increasing the employment of the population of the city.
The third airport of Istanbul does not yet have a name, so it is called İstanbul Yeni Havalimani or simply “New Airport”.
To date, more than 70% of the work has been completed. The first phase of the airport construction has already been completed, and its opening is scheduled for October 29, 2018. The date was not chosen by chance. This is the day of the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Turkey.
In conclusion…
You can talk endlessly about all the charms of Istanbul and Turkish culture, and it is unbelievable that the 21st century and modern technology give people the opportunity to fly to foreign countries and enjoy traveling.
Istanbul is one of the rapidly developing cities, and three airports are a clear confirmation of this. The new Istanbul airport has high hopes. Despite the projected passenger flow (150 million passengers), it is planned to launch the airport in full operation by 2028, while increasing passenger traffic to 200 million per year! With this development of events, the new Istanbul airport claims to reach a completely new world level of competitiveness. As the saying goes, good luck!