Passengers warned of possible disruption to Istanbul air travel
Passengers are being warned about possible delays and cancellations as flights switch to Istanbul’s new airport this weekend.
Flights operating to and from Istanbul Ataturk Airport are due to be transferred to the new Istanbul Airport on April 5-7.
"During the transition period there will be a short period of time where no flights will operate from either airport," said the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
"Passengers may be affected by delays and cancellations during the transition period and for a limited period after the transfer, and should contact their airline for further information."
The new airport is a 30/40-minute drive from Istanbul’s downtown and 25 minutes from its business centre.
It is forecast to handle more than 70 million passengers by the end of 2018 and to grow to 100 million within the next five years.
When all four phases are completed – six runways and three terminals – it will have a capacity of up to 200 million passengers.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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