Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu made statements regarding the city's air traffic due to the NATO Heads of State and Government Summit being held in Ankara on July 6-8. Minister Uraloğlu said that a total of 145 flights were successfully completed at Esenboğa and Ankara airports during the summit.
Uraloğlu noted that 83 of these flights were landings and 62 were takeoffs, emphasizing that air traffic was intense but highly organized before and during the summit. The minister shared the following information on daily flight traffic:
- July 6 (pre-summit): 26 flights (20 landings, 6 takeoffs)
- July 7 (first day): 57 flights (52 landings, 5 takeoffs)
- July 8 (second day): 62 flights (11 landings, 51 takeoffs)
Uraloğlu noted that in terms of distribution by airport, 82 flights (44 landings, 38 takeoffs) took place at Ankara Airport, and 63 flights (39 landings, 24 takeoffs) at Esenboğa Airport.
The minister said, 'Thanks to international air traffic service standards and reliable operational coordination, we ensured that flights were conducted safely and without interruption as part of the NATO Summit in Ankara.'
Runway extended and widened at Ankara Airport
Ankara Airport, which underwent extensive modernization in recent months, was reopened by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on June 15. Serving domestic and international flights under the code 'ANK', the airport can now also accommodate wide-body aircraft.
As part of the modernization work, the runway was extended from 2,450 meters to 3,000 meters in just eight months, and its width was increased from 42 meters to 60 meters. This created suitable infrastructure for the landing and takeoff of large aircraft.
Additionally, two 15,000-square-meter turning areas were added at the runway ends, along with a new 160,000-square-meter apron. The new apron can accommodate approximately 44 aircraft at the same time. While the official guesthouse at the airport was put into service with an area of 4,800 square meters, an open parking lot for 310 vehicles was also made available.
