Istanbul Airport (IST) [problems, experiences and opinions]

I flew from Denizli to Istanbul on this summer holiday and from there to my hometown. So I could take a closer look at the airport in Istanbul and form an opinion.

The airport is not yet the largest airport in the world! Anyone who claims that Turkey has built the largest airport in the world, does not know the project yet and does not know that the airport is scheduled to be finished in 10! Years (2027). Until then, Istanbul Airport is and remains the largest airport in Turkey.

I would like to explain the problems of the airport and I will also try to share my experiences.

As you can see on the map above, the drive from the airport takes one hour from the city and into the city. This is also with the fastest transport option (taxi).

The problem with the taxis is also that many taxi drivers, with whom I had to deal in Turkey until today, still make dishonorable money by trying to grab some euros more with sleight of hand.

For example, when I drove from the airport to the city with my cousin and my wife, the taxi driver pushed the price from 110 to 170 tl with just the push of a button, just by changing the tariff.

It’s really a huge, no, even gigantic work. I still remember talking to the taxi driver on the way to the airport and driving up a hill.

The higher we drove, the more I could see the airport. And there it stood before me … Like a modern city at night. Believe me. When I say like a city, I really mean city.

There I asked the taxi driver: Is this the airport? and the taxi driver just said: Yes. This is the entryway for pilots and stewardesses. We drive about three kilometers to the main entrance.

Unfortunately I did not find the receipt of our food there but we paid about 70 Lira for 3 medium fries and a slice of pizza. Had we not taken our drinks, we would have come that day easily over 100. Had we not eaten before, we would have easily over 200 Turkish liras to pay..

That’s one of the things that baffled me the most. When it comes to building, whether it’s private or commercial, incredible tests are being done in Turkey and so many aspects taken into account.

So much is spent on it that my brother has once let himself say the cost of a house construction and about 48 percent of the total expenditure goes to the tests and determinations of stability and so on.

When I landed there and got into the taxi, the taxi driver told me that it is raining there but that rain will stop in the city. He said that the airport was built in a place in Istanbul where the weather conditions are very bad. He was right.

According to the weather reports, the area of the airport, due to its location (near the coast of the Black Sea), is stormy for 107 days a year and foggy for 65 days a year.

Due to the strong winds wind turbines were built. These are also a problem for the airport as they are an obstacle to the aircrafts.

What confused me most was the information that the airport was being built where migratory birds have their route. For me, placing an airport there means consciously putting the pilots and the entire crew behind them in jeopardy.

Of course, such a situation increases the likelihood of a bird strike and since the Sullenberg case at the latest, we know how dramatic this can end.

In addition, it is also known that 657,000 trees have been felled on the site of the airport, which have been a focal point for honey bees. Since they no longer have the trees, they build their nests at the airport to the terminals. This is also a problem given the current bee mortality problem .

I had already heard of the frequent delays. However, I did not take that seriously, because I did not think that could be that extent.

When we landed in Istanbul, it was the first time that my wife had fallen asleep on the way to the parking position. That really took a long time.

On our departure (IST-> ASR) it has also come to a delay. Until we sat in the plane and also from the terminal to the runway.

If you want to convince yourself of the delays, you can look at the website of flightradar24.com and let you show the last flight informations. And there click on Load Earlier Flights .

The airport is really beautiful and incredibly big, which is why many are proud of it. Many Turks fall for the misconception that Turkey is now so well that Turkey can afford such a thing.

In reality, however, more than three state-owned banks and more than three private companies have lent money and turkey now needs to repay them to these states. Anyone who has dealt with the credit system knows that a loan means putting your leash into someone’s hand.

I know it sounds utopian, but suppose you invested this money ($10billion+) in Turkey for the poorer people.

There is also the fact that the airport is classified as the largest airport in the world in terms of capacity. The factor of how many airlines use their aircraft to reach this airport is another (political) issue.

This is a very controversial pilot who has revealed most of the problems in Istanbul. As far as I’ve read, he has worked as a captain and flight instructor at Turkish Airlines.

When I look at his tweets and his media contacts, I have the impression that he is oriented towards CHP (anti Erdoğan) and of course I am automatically skeptical why he endangered his position with Turkish Airlines with these statements (he was terminated ). Here’s his Twitter feed:

It must also be mentioned at this point that the airport is built on a lot of blood. According to the staff, more than 60 employees died in the construction and wages were either not paid at all or only partially (half).

Although the workers who were on strike were right, they were arrested and there were inhumane statements by the Erdoğan supporters about these workers.

Even if the woman who made this statement was quit after this statement by this newspaper publisher, this statement represents for me the views of this group.