Almost 30 percent of Türkiye’s infrastructure investment need till 2023 is expected to be made through public private partnership model mega projects. One of these, the Istanbul New Airport, will be built by a consortium of five construction giants - Cengiz, Mapa, Limak, Kolin, and Kalyon. The new airport will take its place among the outstanding examples of world architecture with its special design that draws inspiration from Istanbul, its unique geographical location, and rich and diverse history that spans many different civilizations.
On June 21, 2018, President Erdoğan’s aircraft took off from Gaziantep and then made a historic first-ever landing on the 3,750-meterlong runway at Istanbul New Airport, which is expected to formally open to air traffic on October 29, 2018. President Erdoğan said that the Istanbul New Airport, which is set to become the world's largest airport, is not simply a prestige project, but that it is a landmark and that it will be inaugurated on the anniversary of the foundation of the Republic on October 29.
The new airport will assume most of the passenger traffic from Atatürk International Airport. Hosting 250 airlines flying to more than 350 destinations, Istanbul New Airport will be one of the world’s largest
transport hubs. The airport will initially have an annual passenger capacity of 90 million, and officials plan up to 3,500 aircraft movements (landings or take-offs) daily.
The initial annual cargo capacity of the airport is estimated at 5.5 million tons, and Minister of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications Ahmet Arslan has announced that giants such as UPS, DHL, and FedEx, have submitted applications to register for leasable area at the Istanbul New Airport.
The airport is expected to provide employment to 225,000 people.