Ankara Airport was inaugurated with the participation of AKP-affiliated President Erdoğan. It was announced that the airport will be completely closed to civilian flights. The airport will be used by NATO leaders, President Erdoğan, and protocol members. The cost was approximately 10 billion lira. Ahead of the NATO leaders summit scheduled for July, Ankara Etimesgut Military Airport was transformed into Ankara VIP Airport.
The first to land at the airport in its new form was President Erdoğan. The opening ceremony was attended by Erdoğan, some ministers, and Ankara Metropolitan Mayor Mansur Yavaş.
‘HONORABLE RECEPTION’ Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said in his opening speech, "We take pride in transforming Ankara Airport from merely a military airfield into an international aviation center where wide-body aircraft can safely take off and land, and global leaders can be hosted.
During this critical period when our country will host the NATO summit, we achieved great success with our teams working day and night in a record time of only 8 months to provide the highest level of protocol traffic for hosting world leaders.
The modern identity Ankara Airport has gained today elevates Ankara beyond being just a capital city, turning it into a global diplomacy hub that hosts leaders of the world's leading states in the safest and most honorable manner," he said.
COMPLETELY CLOSED TO CIVILIAN FLIGHTS Uraloğlu explained the airport's function: "Despite some criticisms from certain circles saying 'it was unnecessary,' airports closed entirely to scheduled civilian flights and used only for high-level diplomatic summits, government flights, and specially authorized flights exist worldwide. We can give many examples from France, the UK, and the USA.
At this point, Ankara Airport was an important facility needed by our country due to our regional security dynamics, intense diplomatic traffic, and strategic location," he said. Yesterday, he had also stated, "We will open the airport to the service of our nation." Meanwhile, Uraloğlu noted that training flights of the Turkish Aeronautical Association University will continue in this area.
‘RELIEF IN ESENBOĞA TRAFFIC’ President Erdoğan stated that Ankara Esenboğa Airport serves 15 million passengers annually and said, "We all know very well the traffic congestion caused by the increasing number of passengers, especially on the ring road and airport route. With the opening of Ankara Airport, there will hopefully be relief in both air and road traffic at Esenboğa.
I want to emphasize one point here: With Ankara Airport, we not only added a new project to our capital but also revived a facility that has left deep marks in our aviation history. Built in 1933 by the order of Gazi Mustafa Kemal and long serving as the center of military aviation, our airport has been revitalized with its new appearance and facilities," he said.
DIRECT ACCESS TO THE PALACE Erdoğan stated that along with the airport, they built the 140-meter-long Capital Aviation Bridge and a 12.5-kilometer connection road, adding, "With the 3-kilometer connection road on the divided highway section, we will provide direct access for delegations attending the NATO summit.
Thus, we have established a strong transportation network from Ankara Airport to Kızılay at 17 kilometers and to Ümitköy at 7 kilometers," he said. COSTING 10 BILLION LIRA Ankara Airport is located 7 kilometers as the crow flies from the Presidential Palace. Its transformation cost approximately 10 billion lira.
The runway, originally 2,450 meters long and 42 meters wide, was extended to 3,000 meters long and 60 meters wide in 8 months. A new apron area of 160,000 square meters (about 22 football fields) was prepared with a capacity for 44 aircraft. A state guesthouse with 4,800 square meters of indoor space and an open parking lot for 310 vehicles were also constructed. ANKARA/Cumhuriyet.
