Istanbul Airport 4th main runway will be put into service on September 18

Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu stated that the 4th main runway of Istanbul Airport will be opened by President Tayyip Erdoğan on September 18.

Reminding that Istanbul Airport provides connections to more than 340 destinations with the cooperation of more than 110 airlines, Minister Uraloğlu stated that the airport currently serves with a total of 5 runways, including 3 main and 2 spare runways stretching in the north-south direction. Uraloğlu said, "With the commissioning of our 4th main runway, we will increase our total number of runways to 6. Our new runway will also be the first east-west oriented runway of Istanbul Airport. The new concrete runway, built on the east-west axis, is 2 thousand 820 meters long and 45 meters wide."

Taxi time will be shorter

Uraloğlu pointed out the contribution of the new runway to flight operations and shared the following information:

"We will shorten taxi times and air stays, especially on domestic flights and eastbound routes. Thus, we will save fuel and time. The new runway will also contribute to the more effective conduct of operations in different weather conditions. With our new runway on the east-west axis, we will increase operational diversity even in adverse weather conditions. We will also maximize the landing-takeoff safety margin and on-time takeoff rates."

Reminding that the Triple Independent Parallel Runway Operation, a first in Europe, was implemented at Istanbul Airport in April 2025, Uraloğlu emphasized that with the commissioning of the 4th main runway, the operational capacity, efficiency and flexibility of the airport will be further strengthened.

Safer operation in crosswinds