Airlines flock to Istanbul Airport

JANUARY 28: CEO of IGA Kadri Samsunlu and Husnu Akhan, chief executive officer of Dogus Group speak at the Tourism Investments Forum 2020 in Istanbul, Turkey on January 28, 2020. - This year 6 more airlines to start using Istanbul Airport, says CEO of operatorBy Ugur Aslanhan and Abdulselam DurdakThe new Istanbul Airport continues attracting more airlines owing to its increased slot capacity, the CEO of its operator said Tuesday."Six more airlines will start using Istanbul Airport this year, after 11 in 2019," Kadri Samsunlu of IGA said in a speech at the Tourism Investments Forum 2020.He added: "This trend will continue in the coming days."Istanbul Airport officially opened on Oct. 29, 2018, the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Turkey and took over air traffic from Ataturk Airport on April 6, 2019.At a full annual capacity of 200 million passengers -- with the completion of all four phases with six runways by 2028 -- Istanbul Airport is set to become a global aviation hub bringing in more than 100 airlines and flights to over 300 destinations around the world.Samsunlu said the airport will contribute $40 billion to the economy when all phases are completed.