A EUROPEAN airport is kicking off an ambitious expansion plan, promising to increase passenger capacity to 200 million a year.
It’s a huge increase on current levels, where it welcomes 90 million travelers annually – and would make the airport the largest in the world.
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Istanbul Airport is embarking on a four-phase expansion, with the second stage expected to be completed by the end of 2025.
That’s when capacity is expected to increase to 120 million, before rocketing to 200 million by the end of 2028.
The bumper plan includes six new runways.
The aviation center opened its doors to travelers in October 2018, becoming fully operational in April 2019.
The airport’s location attracts large numbers of passengers because it offers a gateway to Europe on the one hand and the Middle East and Asia on the other.
It has grown rapidly since its inception.
In 2023, it served 76 million passengers, a huge jump from the 52.75 million that reached its runway in 2019.
Now airport operator IGA wants to send it into the stratosphere.
Chief Executive Selahattin Bilgen stated: “Once all phases are completed, capacity will reach 200 million passengers.
“Investments for the second phase began last summer and when completed at the end of 2025, capacity will increase to 120 million.”
In an interview with CNBC, he said the airport is now leading the way for Europe.
He said: “Istanbul Airport is breaking records in European aviation.
“Around 80% of our passengers are international, and half of these are transfer passengers, contributing directly to our economy through their foreign exchange expenses.”
But the airport chief added that the airport wants more passengers to choose Turkey as a destination, rather than using it as a transit point – with passengers from China arriving laden with cash.
Bilgen said: “These passengers typically spend more than European travelers, averaging $50 per person in just a few hours.
“One of our goals is to increase the number of these passengers who choose Turkey as a destination, rather than just a transfer point.”
In another ambitious move, the airport hopes to introduce a “triple parallel operation” – where three planes can take off or land at the same time.
That remains to be seen in Europe, with trials scheduled for later in the year.
Bilgen said: “We only see this in the US. It’s difficult to give an exact date for the three tracks, but this is a great prestige for both Istanbul and Turkey.”
In January, the airport surpassed London Heathrow, Amsterdam Schiphol and Paris Charles De Gaulle as the busiest in Europe, according to the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation.
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