Istanbul Ataturk Airport breaks own flight record

By Bahattin Gonultas

ANKARA

Istanbul Ataturk Airport broke its own air traffic record with 1,500 landings and takeoffs on Sunday, Turkey's airports management agency said on Monday.

Sunday’s air traffic record at Ataturk Airport was the second in the same month following a previous record on Sept. 9 when 1,478 planes landed and took off in 24 hours.

On Sunday, 749 planes landed and 751 others took off from Ataturk Airport, which is the 11th largest airport worldwide, providing services to 61.8 million passengers last year, according to the Airports Council International (ACI).

It was also listed as the third busiest airport in Europe by ACI in 2015.

The record figures come nearly three months after a terror attack on June 28 at Ataturk Airport, killing at least 36 people and injuring nearly 150 others.

"Despite the terror attack in [June] and July 15 coup attempt, the great success [new record] demonstrates the continued rise in Turkish Civil Aviation," said the head of the General Directorate of State Airports Authority (DHMI), Serdar Huseyin Yildirim, in a statement.

"The new record also pointed out to the need for new airport in Istanbul," Yildirim added.

Turkey is building Istanbul’s third airport, which will open in February 2018, according to Turkish Transport Ministry.

The Cengiz-Kolin-Limak-Mapa-Kalyon consortium, a joint venture of Turkish companies, won a tender to build the third airport in Istanbul in 2013, pledging to pay the government €22.1 billion for 25 years starting from 2017.

With more than an annual 150-million passenger capacity, the airport is expected to become one of the biggest in the world and the biggest air transfer hub in Europe.

The airport will also act as a focal point for Turkey's flag carrier Turkish Airlines, which is one of the fastest growing airline companies in the world, flying currently to more than 270 international destinations.