TURKEY. The countdown to the opening of the much-anticipated Istanbul New Airport quickened on 21 June as the Turkish state aircraft carrying President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (since re-elected) touched down. The historic moment marked the first landing by a passenger aircraft, and was greeted in traditional style with a water salute on the runway. The airport is due to open on 29 October.
President Erdoğan, met by ground crew and workers, said, “Today is a very, very meaningful day for us.” Erdoğan said the “magnificent airport” will be a leading hub for global air traffic.
Istanbul New Airport will be one of the three biggest airports in the world with an annual capacity of 90 million passengers in the first phase, he said, describing the facility as a brand for the country. Erdoğan announced that after the launch of the new airport, Istanbul Atatürk Airport will be replaced by a huge park named ‘People’s Garden’.
Meanwhile, leasing continues apace for the retail stores at the new airport, according to airport developer IGA.
As reported, IGA has a 25-year contract to construct and operate the gateway. The construction will be carried out in four phases. The first will be finalised in late 2018 with the opening of three runways and a terminal with 90 million passenger capacity. Once complete, the airport will host about 100 airlines flying to over 350 destinations with an annual passenger capacity up to 200 million.
IGA said it will partner with world-famous brands. The 10,000sq m shopping space across the departure terminal, domestic outbound passenger area and arrival terminals, has attracted “a flood of interest” by retailer brands, IGA said. The spaces allocated to car rental, pharmacy, hairdresser, gift shop, jewellery, bijouterie, textile, toy, shoe parlour and travel products were the most in demand.
İstanbul New Airport will feature a 32,000sq m dedicated food & beverage area, but the showpiece will be the 52,500sq m duty free shopping area – the largest of its kind in the world.
Unifree Duty Free and Gebr Heinemann will manage the vast duty free offer. Luxury will sit at the heart of the terminal, flanked by the core category duty free stores. As reported, this will be complemented by five ‘villages’ that reflect different aspects of Turkish identity. IGA has pledged to offer “an unlimited shopping experience” with a blend of global and Turkish brands.
IGA said that all space in the tourism, transfer and hotel zone are leased, a second phase was opened in response to high demand, and the spaces there were fully booked as well.
