Istanbul Airport Opens Fourth Main Runway, Expanding to Six Runways

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan inaugurated Istanbul Airport's fourth main runway on September 18, marking a major capacity expansion for Europe's busiest aviation hub. The new east-west runway, built at a cost of €890 million, brings the airport's total number of runways to six.

Measuring 2,820 meters long and 45 meters wide, the new runway is the airport's first oriented in an east-west direction. The facility's three primary runways and two secondary runways had all previously run north-south. Its activation is expected to significantly reduce aircraft taxiing times and airborne holding patterns, particularly benefiting domestic routes and flights to eastern Anatolia, Central Asia, and the Arabian Peninsula.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Erdoğan said the new runway and accompanying investments would "further raise the airport's service standards by reducing taxiing and waiting times, enhancing takeoff and landing safety, and saving fuel and time." Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu noted that because aircraft can now depart directly eastward without turning after takeoff, substantial fuel and time savings are anticipated.

Istanbul Airport currently partners with more than 110 airlines, serving over 340 destinations. Erdoğa cited figures showing that Turkey handled 167.5 million air passengers in the first eight months of 2026, nearly double the country's population underscoring the urgency of the expansion. On August 30 alone, the airport set a European record with 1,787 flights in a single day.

Located adjacent to the hangar area, the new runway will provide more independent operating space for business and general aviation, reducing interference with commercial traffic. Uraloğlu also said the east-west runway will enhance operations under adverse weather conditions, such as crosswinds.