Construction of Istanbul's third airport 6 months ahead of plan
by Seda Tabak
Aug 21, 2015 - 12:00 am GMT+3
by Seda Tabak
Aug 21, 2015 12:00 am
The new airport's construction is proceeding smoothly with 7,500 people working on the project, a number that might swell to 30,000. Once completed, the airport will relieve the pressure on Atatürk and Sabiha Gökçen airports, which are overcapacity
The construction of Istanbul's third airport is progressing faster than planned with the project expected to be completed six months earlier than scheduled, according to the CEO of the project Yusuf Akçayoğlu. While the third airport was planned to be completed in the third quarter of 2018, Akçayoğlu said they are working to finish the project in the first quarter of 2018.
The formal process started with the construction site delivery on May 1. Two runways, a terminal with a capacity of 90 million passengers and other additional buildings will be constructed in 42 months in the first phase. The construction of the third runway will be completed in the 58 months that follow site delivery in the second phase. Istanbul's Atatürk and Sabiha Gökçen airports face capacity problems because of the rapid growth in the civil aviation transportation sector in recent years. Therefore, the airport project will be completed in the first quarter of 2018, although its formal construction period ends in October 2018. After the revised master plan of the airport project was approved on June 22, 2015, infrastructure and superstructure projects that will accelerate construction activities have also been confirmed. The construction is running smoothly and the Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communication are holding coordination meetings with the General Directorate of State Airports Authority (DHMİ) on a regular basis.
There are a number of earthworks taking place on the project site. The poor-quality earth, which consisted of mine dumps, was completely removed from the area where upper structures will be built. Additionally, elevated areas are also being excavated. Rehabilitation and fill work is continuing in the marsh area, parts of which were drained in the first phase.
Design firms started work after the finalization of all tenders regarding the design of the airport. Tenders regarding subcontractor companies and equipment have also been completed to a major extent. The construction work is continuing in parallel with the confirmation by design firms. All equipment related to the construction work, including baggage, bridges, main energy center, facade, roofs, steel, elevators, escalators and fuel will be ordered by the end of 2015.
When the project is completed, the new airport will set an example by having the highest international flight safety standards. The most advanced technology and experience in the aviation sector are being closely pursued to this end.
A total of 7,500 people - 653 white collar and 6,846 blue collar - are employed on the project. When the construction work reaches the most intense level, it will offer jobs to a total of 30,000 people. Currently, there are 1,460 trucks deployed on the site.
A total of 10 million trees will be planted in place of those trees that were cut down as a part of the project.
The airport will have 165 passenger-boarding bridges, four terminals connected with a railway system, three maintenance buildings, eight air traffic control towers, six runways, 16 taxiways, an airport hangar of 6.5 million square meters with a capacity of 500 airplanes, a parking lot with a capacity of about 70,000 vehicles and touted as the largest airport parking lot in Europe, a clinic, fire department, hotels, a convention center and recycling and waste disposal plants. The airport will be connected to the Istanbul metro and multi-lane highways will be built to facilitate access. The area where the airport is being built was chosen with the consideration of ecological balance, wind data and the natural and artificial obstacles of the region.
Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey,
it’s region and the world.
You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.