ISTANBUL ATATURK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
BRIDGING EAST AND WEST...
- Istanbul Ataturk International Airport Terminal Building and Multi-Storey Car Park Project
Commencement Date: February 17, 1998
Completion Date: January 10, 2000
- Istanbul Ataturk International Airport Terminal Building Extention Project
Commencement Date: February 2002
Completıon Date: May 2004
- Istanbul Ataturk Airport Refurbishment Works
Commencement Date: December 2005
Completion Date: December 31, 2006
Facts & Figures
Terminal Design Capacity: 20,000,000 passengers per year
Total Construction Site Area: 500,000 m²
Terminal Building Area: 264,000 m²
Auxiliary Structures Area: 135,000 m²
Car Park Area: 179,000 m²
Car Park Capacity: 7,076 vehicles
Airport Hotel Capacity: 85 rooms
Passenger Boarding Bridges: 23 units
Remote Boarding Gates: 12 units
Check-in Islands: 7 units
Check-in Counters: 224 units
Elevators: 57 units
Escalators: 29 units
Travelators: 2,060 linear meters (35 units)
Baggage Screening X-Ray Machines: 40 units
Baggage Claim Carousels: 11 units
Total Construction Period: 22 months
True to Istanbul’s destiny as a bridge between the East and West, the megacity’s ultra-modern and hi-tech new airport was built for bringing people together from around the world. As its maiden project, TAV Construction is extremely proud of this amazing accomplishment which broke new ground in airport design, construction and operation. In fact, with the Istanbul Atatürk International Airport Complex, which includes the refurbished Domestic Terminal and Europe’s largest multi-storey car park, TAV Construction has raised the bar and set a new standard in the airport sector.
In 1997, TAV won the tender to finance and construct the new Istanbul Atatürk International Airport Terminal Bulding and Multi-Storey Car park Project return for a defined share of operating revenues gained from the operation of the terminal and car park facility for a period of three years, eight months and twenty days. This BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) concept was a first for the Turkish aviation industry and would mark the future course of TAV Construction. This initial development, along with the subsequent Terminal Building Extension Project was a huge step forward for the Turkish tourism industry.
Construction began on the initial tender on February 17, 1998 and was completed just 22 months after the site delivery, an unprecedented achievement all the more astonishing because of temporary delays due to the devastating earthquakes which Turkey suffered in August and November of 1999. Nonetheless, work continued on a 24-hour basis and during the peak construction period over 350 engineers and 3,000 workers worked tirelessly to complete the venture, approximately eight months ahead of schedule.
The second phase, the Terminal Building Extension Project, took another 27 months to complete and lasted from February of 2002 to May of 2004. The main aim was to expand the passenger handling capacity of the Istanbul Atatürk International Airport from 12 million to 20 million passengers per annum and increase the number of aircraft boarding bridges from 18 to 23. In lenghtening the front of the terminal facility to 768 meters, this venture made the structure the widest building in Turkey. This project also included the construction of the Airport Hotel, with 85 rooms serving both airside and landside guests, as well as additional VIP facilities.
Turkey’s State Airports Authority (DHMI) selected the entry submitted by Turkish architect, Ms. Ebru Kantaşı, in association with the British architectural company of Gollins, Melvin and Ward (GMW), as the basis for the development of the final project design. The architectural concept is that of an open and airy facility and only the highest quality materials were utilized. The result is a terminal that is both aesthetically pleasing and functionally excellent, an airport ambiance that truly exceeds world standards.
In 2001, the airport received the prestigious American Consulting Engineers Council (ACEC) Grand Award for Engineering Excellence for its innovative seismic movement damping system which was incorporated into the terminal building structure. Seismic isolators were placed on top of the main terminal concrete columns supporting the tubular steel roof truss. These isolation devices were designed to allow the roof truss to move independently from the movement of the columns, within set limits, thereby considerably reducing the bending stress imposed on the columns during an earthquake. This feature has greatly increased the security of the airport and the safety of passengers.
In short, every concern and comfort of the passenger was kept in mind when designing and building the new Istanbul Atatürk International Airport. A Central Data Base of advanced and integrated computerized and automation systems manages everything from paasenger processing and terminal security to financial management and operation functions. The Airport features:
- High speed check-in and passport control minimize congestion.
- Automated Check-in Processing at each check-in and ticket sales counter allows the airlines to use ant counter to access their own reservation systems and automatically print tickets and boarding passes, as well as to process boarding passes at the gates.
- A fully automated Flight Information Display System and public address system in English and Turkish facilitates passenger mobility.
- A cutting-edge Baggage Handling System uses barcodes to ensure security, quick and proper delivery of luggage and a Baggage Reconciliation System to reconcile checked bags against departing passengers.
- Advanced technology security systems control the entire terminal facilitating instant intervention.
- An Automated Docking Guidance System provided at each gate enables pilots to guide the aircrafts to the correct parking position; complemented by a Gate Operating System which automatically records gate occupancy time.
- The environmentally friendly terminal provides water waste refinement, solid waste disposal and natural gas heating systems.
TAV Construction is more than proud of its pioneer project. The state-of-the-art Istanbul Atatürk International Airport is indeed an airport for the new millenium. Bridging the East and West and bringing together millions of travellers form around the globe in luxury and comfort, it is the standard bearer for the Company and the benchmark against which all other projects are measured.