IN PICTURES: Turkey to open 'world's biggest airport'

Turkey is all set to officially open Istanbul's new airport which could be the 'World's biggest airport.' and this $11 million mega-hub is only a few weeks away from its opening.

As estimated, around 200 million passengers will be passing the halls of this magnificent airport every year. 

The opening of the airport comes at a crucial time, as on April 6, Istanbul Atakturk Airport - which was considered one of the busiest airport in the world with 70 million passengers annually, ceased all operations. All the commercial flights have been transferred to Turkey's new international airport, which means Istanbul New Airport is gearing up to go full-operational. Turkey's position in the global aviation hub has been growing faster every year. Even Atakturk airport had been operational for only two decades and in no time became the busiest airport. 

The new airport covers 76 million square meters and can currently handle 90 million passengers a year in phase one. When the entire airport is completed, it will be able to handle 200 million passengers a year. And that will make it the world's biggest airport in terms of passenger traffic. In comparison, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, which is presently the world's busiest airport, handles 107 million passengers a year. 

The first flight at Istanbul New Airport took place in last year in October, and now the airport's first phase of construction, which includes three runways and 15 million square feet of terminal space, is finished. Four phases are yet to be completed by 2025, with a total cost of about $12 billion. 

The Duty-Free area has been inspired by the 'Bosphorus,' a famous waterway in Turkey. It will seven sections housing different concepts, such as, 'Fashion Garden,' 'Family Palace,' and 'Style Beach,' each will be selling brands ion the basis of their theme. 

22 miles away, is the air traffic control traffic which is shaped like a tulip, a popular symbol flower in Turkish culture. Turkey's new airport is speculated to be very important for is the economy, and other sectors like logistics, tourism, etc. And just like other airports, Turkey's new airport has also had a little rough start and a labour dispute. Now, this grand Turkish aviation project is set to take off, quite literally.
 

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