Istanbul International Airport, which celebrated one year of full operations earlier this month, is to proceed with the opening of its third independent runway on 18 June 2020.

Airport operator İGA Havalimani İşletmesi has notified the Civil Aviation General Directorate that the runway, located to the east of the terminal, will be ready to begin operations next month.

As reported, the launch of the third runway will reduce taxi times by around 50%. It will also increase the number of aircraft movements to around 130 per hour.

Investment into the runway, which is only the second in Europe capable of parallel operations alongside Amsterdam Schiphol, has continued since the airport was inaugurated on 29 October 2018.

Speaking to TRBusiness in Istanbul earlier this year, Ali Şenher, CEO, Unifree Duty Free said: “The new runway will be a game-changer for the airport and us. This is because a lot of big airline companies have signed contracts with the airport including China Southern and IndiGo.”

GOLDEN WEEK INFLUX

Last year, the airport welcomed around 1,060 Chinese shoppers per day compared to 600 on a typical day during the Golden Week period. This year’s Golden Week holiday runs from 1 October to 7 October.

[Click the below video featuring Kadri Samsunlu, CEO, İGA Havalimani İşletmesi, which was posted on the airport operator’s official Facebook and LinkedIn pages]