Turkey‘s busiest international airport is Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport, 23km west of Sultanahmet. The international and domestic terminals ara side by side.
On average, 82 thousand passengers use the Istanbul Ataturk Airport each day and approximately 700 – 730 planes land and take off daily. Equipped with all facilities that can possibly be expected from an airport, Ataturk Airport caters to nearly 300 airline companies from around the world.
Istanbul is one of the largest metropolises in the world, as well as Turkey’s window to the world. Selected European Capital of Culture in 2010 by the European Union, Istanbul attracts millions of people from Turkey and abroad thanks to its unequalled cultural heritage and more than 12 million residents.
In addition, three new passenger bridges and four bus gates will be put in operation at the International Terminal. Furthermore, as part of the Expansion Project, the Company is planning to commence service at the 18.770 square meters supplemental terminal area that will host catering and duty free facilities, as well as offices, and to increase the capacity of the Airport Hotel from 85 rooms to 130 rooms. The VIP Lounge, which currently sits on an area of 2.500 square meters, will be expanded by an additional 1.280 square meters. The VIP Lounge which will be located in the new additional terminal building will feature two lounges that will have their own separate entrances and will be used only by the President and the Prime Minister. In addition to these, passenger gate number 226 will be built with two tunnels to expedite the boarding and departure time of passengers of Boeing 777 aircraft.
Airport codes
The airport is referred to by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) using the airport code IST. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) uses LTBA when referring to Atatürk International Airport.
