Discovering Istanbul Airport
Business Traveller Asia-Pacific|September/October 2024
Set to be the world's largest airport, IGA will be capable of hosting up to 200 million passengers annually by 2028
HANNAH BRANDLER
Discovering Istanbul Airport

For years travellers have been using hubs at the likes of Doha, Dubai and Amsterdam to connect between Europe and Asia, with Istanbul’s Ataturk and Sabiha Gokcen airports suffering from congestion and delays despite the city’s well-placed location straddling both continents.

Enter Istanbul Airport (also known as iGA – Istanbul Grand Airport) which began operations in October 2018 and aims to be the world’s largest airport once its four phases of construction are complete in 2028.

The airport took over from Ataturk as Istanbul’s main airport in April 2019, adopting the IST code in the process. It occupies 76.5 million sqm with an “under one roof ” design, meaning there is just one terminal – spanning 1.4 million sqm – for both domestic and international departures, plus three independent runways, an air traffic control tower and various facilities. That said, there will be separate terminal buildings for VIPs and private jets in due course.

The airport will have five north-south parallel runways and one east-west runway by 2028, and the capacity to handle 200 million passengers per year – at the moment it has a 90 million capacity. Indeed, it was listed as the busiest airport in Europe (and seventh worldwide) in the ACI's World Airport Traffic Dataset 2023.

Here we look at the facilities on offer to help guide your way around this vast airport.

Getting there

Istanbul Airport is 53km from Taksim on the European side, and 65km from Kadikoy on the Anatolian side.

The M11 metro operates between Kagithane and Istanbul Airport and takes approximately 25 minutes to reach the city centre. This will extend to Gayrettepe station (also city centre) soon. Passengers can also use the Havaist and IETT buses.

Getting around

Esta historia es de la edición September/October 2024 de Business Traveller Asia-Pacific.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición September/October 2024 de Business Traveller Asia-Pacific.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE BUSINESS TRAVELLER ASIA-PACIFICVer todo
Vietnam Airlines to add HanoiPhnom Penh service
Business Traveller Asia-Pacific

Vietnam Airlines to add HanoiPhnom Penh service

VIETNAM AIRLINES has announced the launch of a nonstop service between Hanoi and Phnom Penh. Additionally, the airline has signed cooperation agreements with key partners in Cambodia to foster aviation and tourism development between the two countries.

time-read
1 min  |
September/October 2024
Malaysia Airlines and China Southern strengthen codeshare pact
Business Traveller Asia-Pacific

Malaysia Airlines and China Southern strengthen codeshare pact

ONEWORLD MEMBER Malaysia Airlines and China Southern Airlines have announced an expansion of their codeshare flights to include the Guangzhou-Penang (CAN-PEN), Kuala LumpurBeijing Daxing (KUL-PKX) and Kuala Lumpur-Shanghai Pudong (KUL-PVG) routes from July 10, 2024.

time-read
1 min  |
September/October 2024
BANGKOK
Business Traveller Asia-Pacific

BANGKOK

How to make the most of half a day in Thailand's bustling capital

time-read
3 minutos  |
September/October 2024
MACHINE REVOLUTION
Business Traveller Asia-Pacific

MACHINE REVOLUTION

Artificial intelligence is transforming the travel industry, with huge strides in data analysis and generative Al set to create seamless, personalised travel for passengers

time-read
7 minutos  |
September/October 2024
HONG KONG DEBRIEFED
Business Traveller Asia-Pacific

HONG KONG DEBRIEFED

The frenetic, constantly changing city on the South China coast still has more than a few tricks up its sleeve

time-read
5 minutos  |
September/October 2024
Discovering Istanbul Airport
Business Traveller Asia-Pacific

Discovering Istanbul Airport

Set to be the world's largest airport, IGA will be capable of hosting up to 200 million passengers annually by 2028

time-read
7 minutos  |
September/October 2024
Your attention, please
Business Traveller Asia-Pacific

Your attention, please

After a string of recent incidents involving extreme turbulence, we chart the history of the inflight safety video to see if the latest crop is up to the task...

time-read
7 minutos  |
September/October 2024
SPOTLIGHT ON SURABAYA
Business Traveller Asia-Pacific

SPOTLIGHT ON SURABAYA

The city in East Java is set to expand as it capitalises on its historic roots and status as an important trading centre

time-read
3 minutos  |
September/October 2024
HOTEL HOP, BALI STYLE
Business Traveller Asia-Pacific

HOTEL HOP, BALI STYLE

Indonesia's tourist hotspot has a wealth of attractions to suit everyone, but it’s all about picking the right place to stay

time-read
5 minutos  |
September/October 2024
JAKARTA IN POLE POSITION
Business Traveller Asia-Pacific

JAKARTA IN POLE POSITION

Indonesia's commercial hub will thrive long after the nation's new capital is open for business

time-read
5 minutos  |
September/October 2024