Istanbul New Airport (INA), the giant complex being built by Turkey on the outskirts of the capital city at a cost of nearly €10 billion ($12.3 billion), is now 80 per cent complete and is on target to open on October 29 this year.

The INA recently achieved a major milestone by turning on the lights of the first of its three runways.

On completion, Istanbul New Airport will become the world’s new aviation hub with 350 destinations in passenger and cargo transportation and serving an approximate 100 airlines.

The initial phase with a passenger capacity of 90 million will be commissioned with three independent parallel runways, taxiways, a terminal building, an air traffic control tower, communication and weather systems as well as other utility buildings, said a top official.

"The first runway at INA is now ready for takeoff and landing. For the first time, runway number one, which is 3,750m long and 60m wide, has been lit up," remarked Yusuf Akçayoglu, CEO of IGA Airports Construction, which is the engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the project and also its operator.

INA has installed the world’s biggest and most sophisticated Airfield Ground Lighting at its first runway, featuring 34,183 LED lights. Intelligent lighting makes the visual guiding process easier and improves situational surveillance and aircraft tracking systems, he explained.

This allows for optimised aircraft routing to and from the gates, a more efficient traffic flow and an increase in safety, he added.

Akçayoglu said IGA was working day and night for this project "that will put Turkey’s stamp on the history of aviation."

"We have recently finished the baggage system which constitutes our airport’s core. And now we have made the runway number one ready for landing with all the required equipment and in compliance with the relevant global standards. We are looking forward to delivering Istanbul New Airport in its entirety in October," he added.-TradeArabia News Service