Atatürk Airport
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Expand Turkish Template:Infobox airport
Atatürk Airport Template:Airport codes is an airport currently in use for private jets. It used to be the primary international airport of Istanbul and the hub of Turkish Airlines until it was closed to commercial passenger flights on 6 April 2019. From that point, all passenger flights were transferred to the new Istanbul Airport.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Since the move of commercial operations to the new airport, Atatürk Airport is open to general aviation and functioning as an executive airport.
History
[edit]Growth and development
[edit]In 1911, a small apron with two hangars was built in Yeşilköy, Istanbul, for the Ottoman Armed Forces.<ref name="aip_ltba">Template:Cite web</ref> Mustafa Kemal Atatürk founded Türk Tayyare Cemiyeti (Turkish Aircraft Company, today Türk Hava Kurumu - THK) in 1925. In 1933, today's Turkish Airlines, the Türkiye Devlet Hava Yolları started its flights with two Curtiss Kingbird aircraft. Flights from Istanbul to Ankara and Athens began. The small apron was expanded and a new passenger terminal was built. This is considered the beginning of the airport's 86-year history. It was originally named Yeşilköy Airport. In the 1980s, it was renamed Atatürk International Airport.
It served more than 60 million passengers in 2015, making it the 11th-busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic and the 10th-busiest in the world in terms of international passenger traffic. In 2017, it was Europe's 5th-busiest airport after London–Heathrow, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Frankfurt Airport, and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, having fallen from third place after a decline in passengers due to security fears.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Closure
[edit]Istanbul Atatürk Airport was replaced in regards to commercial passenger functions by the newly constructed Istanbul Airport, in April 2019, in order to meet Istanbul's growing domestic and international air traffic demand as a source, destination, and transit point. Both airports were used in parallel for five months from late 2018, with the new airport gradually expanding to serve more domestic and regional destinations.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 6 April 2019, Atatürk's IST IATA airport code was inherited by Istanbul Airport and Atatürk Airport was assigned the code ISL after the full transfer of all scheduled passenger activities to the new airport was completed.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The final commercial flight, Turkish Airlines Flight 54, left Atatürk Airport on 6 April 2019 at 02:44 for Singapore.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On 5 February 2022, Turkish Cargo relocated all cargo flights and operations from their former hub at the airport to the new Istanbul Airport.<ref>aircargoworld.com - Turkish Cargo completes transition to new Istanbul Airport 8 February 2022</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Atatürk Airport National Garden
[edit]Turkey's government announced its plans to construct a giant park on the grounds of the former Istanbul Atatürk Airport (whose operations were transferred to the new Istanbul Airport) in 2019.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> The park is part of a larger urban transformation plan that seeks to correct some of the haphazard urban planning that characterised most major Turkish cities since the 1970s.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> Due to the little space available to construct or expand green spaces, new parks are often constructed on spots formerly occupied by factories or other major facilities.
The Atatürk Airport National Garden will be constructed on and around one of the two runways of Atatürk Airport.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref> These runways were already rendered unusable after they were chosen as the site for Istanbul's pandemic hospital in early 2020.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> More than 132,500 trees are to be planted in place of the asphalt runway and taxiways that will also help to keep the city cooler.<ref name=":0" /> The other runway is set to remain in use for select cargo and private jet flights, aviation fairs (such as Teknofest) and for use by the Turkish Air Force (which still maintains a small training base and the Istanbul Aviation Museum here).Template:Citation needed
The leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP) Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu called the proposed construction of the park "treason" and threatened to hold those responsible to account.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Construction commenced in 2022.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref> First areas of the park were opened to the public in 2023.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2024, the Council of State cancelled the construction tender, following a lawsuit filed by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.<ref name=":3" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Facilities
[edit]_April_1970_Rome_to_Turkey_00468_(48309481577).jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
Former passenger terminals
[edit]Istanbul Atatürk Airport featured two passenger terminals linked to each other.<ref name="airportmap">Template:Cite web</ref> The former domestic terminal is the older and smaller of the two terminals and exclusively handled domestic flights within Turkey. It featured its own check-in and airside facilities on the upper floor, with twelve departure gates equipped with jet bridges<ref name="airportmap"/> and five baggage claim belts on the ground level.<ref name="airportmap"/> The former international terminal was inaugurated in 2000 and used for all international flights. It featured a large main hall containing 8 check-in aisles and a wide range of airside facilities such as shops and restaurants, 34 gates equipped with jet bridges, and 7 bus-boarding stands. The arrivals floor had 11 baggage claim belts.<ref name="airportmap"/> In addition, there is a general aviation terminal to the northwest of the passenger terminals.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Former cargo terminal
[edit]The airport featured a dedicated cargo terminal including facilities for the handling of radioactive and refrigerated freight.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Other facilities
[edit]- Turkish Airlines has its headquarters in the Turkish Airlines General Management Building, located within the airport campus.<ref>"Contact Us." Turkish Airlines. Retrieved on 26 June 2010.</ref><ref>"Map." Turkish Airlines. Retrieved on 26 June 2010. Template:Webarchive</ref>
- Prima Aviation Services Inc. has its MRO facilities in new technical site at the air side Gate A.<ref>"Communication".Template:Dead link Prima Aviation Services Inc. Retrieved 8 June 2014. Map. "Head Office YESILKOY MAH. HAVAALANI CAD. ATATURK HAVALIMANI NO:2/12-1 ZIP: 34149 BAKIRKOY / ISTANBUL"</ref>
- A metro station on the M1A line served the airport from its opening on 20 December 2002.
- In May 2020, the Yeşilköy Prof. Dr. Murat Dilmener Emergency Hospital using the former site of the 35L/35R runways were opened in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey.
Current operations
[edit]As of April 2019, all passenger operations have been relocated to the new Istanbul Airport. As of February 2022, all cargo operations have been relocated to the new airport as well.<ref name="cnnturk">Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Cn Currently, the airport serves only private and business jets as well as operations on behalf of the Government of Turkey.Template:Cn
Statistics
[edit]Istanbul Atatürk Airport ranked 17th in ACI statistics at the end of 2011 in terms of international traffic with almost 24 million international passengers. It ranked 29th in the world in terms of total passenger traffic with over 37.4 million passengers in 2011. Its total traffic within the last decade more than tripled, and its international traffic quadrupled.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Passenger statistics for Istanbul Atatürk Airport for the years 2002–2019 are below.<ref name="dhmi.gov.tr">Template:Cite web</ref>
Accidents and incidents
[edit]- On 30 January 1975, Turkish Airlines Flight 345, crashed into the Sea of Marmara during its final approach to the airport. All 42 passengers and crew on board were killed.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- On 25 April 2015, Turkish Airlines Flight 1878, operated by an A320-200, TC-JPE was severely damaged in a landing accident. The aircraft aborted the first hard landing, which inflicted engine and gear damage. On the second attempt at landing, the right gear collapsed and the aircraft rolled off the runway spinning 180 degrees. All 97 passengers and 5 crew members survived with no injuries. The aircraft was written off as a result of the accident.<ref name=AH48546eb6>Template:Cite web</ref>
- On 28 June 2016, three terrorists killed 44 civilians by gunfire and subsequent suicide bombings, along with 239 civilians injured.<ref name="bbc.com">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The three men arrived in a taxi cab and opened fire at the terminal. The three men then blew themselves up when police opened fire. The airport has X-ray scanners at the entrance to the terminal but security checks for cars are limited.<ref name="bbc.com"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- On 15 July 2016, the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt took place. During the attempted coup, units of the Turkish Armed Forces seized control of the airport and closed it, but it was reopened after pro-government forces regained control.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Accolades
[edit]- The Turkish Chamber of Civil Engineers lists İstanbul Atatürk Airport as one of the fifty civil engineering feats in Turkey, a list of remarkable engineering projects completed in the first 50 years of the chamber's existence.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- In the 2013 Air Transport News awards ceremony, İstanbul Atatürk Airport was named Airport of the Year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- The airport was named Europe's Best Airport in the 40–50 million passenger per year category at the 2013 Skytrax World Airport Awards.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
See also
[edit]- List of the busiest airports in Turkey
- List of the busiest airports in Europe
- List of the busiest airports in Europe (2010–2015)
References
[edit]External links
[edit]Template:Commons category-inline
- Template:Official website (archived on 8 February 2020)
- Template:NWS-current
- Template:ASN
Template:Bakırköy Template:Airports in Turkey Template:Europe topic Template:Fifty civil engineering feats in Turkey Template:Bombings in Turkey in 2016 Template:Portal bar
- Pages with broken file links
- Defunct airports in Turkey
- Istanbul Atatürk Airport
- 1924 establishments in Turkey
- Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces Air Transport Command in the European Theater
- Airports in Istanbul
- Bakırköy
- Buildings and structures in Istanbul Province
- Transport in Istanbul Province
- Airports established in 1924
- Airports disestablished in 2022