Istanbul Airport's Fourth Main Runway to Open on September 18

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced that Istanbul Airport's fourth main runway, which is the airport's first East-West oriented runway, will open on September 18 with the attendance of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Features of the New Runway to Enter Service

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu stated that the new concrete runway, built on the East-West axis, has a length of 2,820 meters and a width of 45 meters.

With the commissioning of this new runway, the airport's total number of runways, currently five, will rise to six, and this structure will hold the distinction of being the first East-West oriented runway.

Will Provide Savings on Flight Times and Fuel

It was emphasized that the new runway will save significant amounts of fuel and time by shortening taxi times and airborne durations, particularly in domestic flights and East-bound routes.

Additionally, this investment, which will increase operational diversity even under adverse weather conditions, will maximize landing and takeoff safety margins as well as on-time departure rates.

Operational Capacity and Safety Increasing

Recalling that the Triple Independent Parallel Runway Operation, a first in Europe, was implemented at Istanbul Airport in April 2025, it was stated that this new step will strengthen efficiency.

The new East-West oriented runway will contribute to safe operations under crosswind conditions while directly empowering the goal of quadruple runway operations.

Historic Passenger and Flight Records Broken

On the other hand, Istanbul Airport reached its all-time highest daily number of flights and passengers both in Turkey and across Europe on August 16, with 1,739 flights operated and 290,287 passengers carried.