Turkey: Opening of Istanbul-New Airport reportedly delayed to March 2019 /update 1

Event

Turkish government officials and representatives of Turkish Airlines have reportedly decided to delay fully shifting operations to Istanbul-New Airport until March 2019. According to the Turkish transportation ministry, operations will gradually shift from Istanbul-Atatürk Airport to Istanbul-New Airport starting January 1, 2019. 

Context

Istanbul-New Airport is set to replace Istanbul-Atatürk Airport and assume the IATA airport code IST. The airport was inaugurated on October 29 and was originally planned to start full flight operations that month. However, due to delays, a "phased transition" was put in place that was previously expected to be completed by January 1, 2019. Once fully operational, Istanbul-New Airport is expected to handle about 90 million passengers per year.

Advice

Potentially impacted travelers are advised to monitor the situation and to contact their airline for further information.