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Getting There By Air
Istanbul Atatürk International Airport (IST)
Tel: (212) 663 6400. Fax: (212) 663 6250.
Website: www.dhmiata.gov.tr
Formerly Yesilköy Airport, Atatürk International Airport is located 23km (15 miles) west of central Istanbul, in Yesilköy. It is the main international gateway to the country, as well as Turkey’s largest airport and heavily congested as a result. It served 12,601,431 passengers in 2001, although the airport has a current capacity of 22 million people per year. A brand-new international terminal has recently been completed, with the capacity to handle 14 million passengers per year. It is estimated that the growth in annual passenger traffic will increase to 27 million by 2005. Terminal C is currently reserved for those travelling in and out of the Russian Federation and CIS countries.
Sabiha Göksen International Airport in Pendik, Kurtköy, opened in early 2001 and has relieved some of the overload at Atatürk Airport, although it caters mainly for charter, cargo and military planes (see below).
Major airlines: Turkish Airlines (tel: (212) 252 1106; website: www.thy.com) is the national airline serving international and domestic routes. Other major carriers include Air France, American Airlines, British Airways, Delta Airlines, Japanese Airlines, KLM, Lufthansa, SAS, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airlines, TWA US Air and Virgin Atlantic.
Airport facilities: Facilities include two health clinics with 24-hour service (tel: (212) 663 6400, ext. 707), quarantine and environmental health services (tel: (212) 663 0797), pharmacies, lost and found, banks, post office, baggage service, restaurants, snack bars, tourist information, shops, duty free, hotel reservation, travel agencies, bureaux de change, ATMs and car hire from Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, National, Sixt and Ülger.
Business facilities: There is a conference centre located in the international terminal (tel: (212) 663 6400, ext. 1225 or 663 4376), including three conference halls. The Tepe Conference Hall seats 70 delegates and encompasses 132sq metres (1421sq feet) of space for theatrical purposes. The Akfen Conference Hall has 200 seats in its 225sq metres (2422sq feet) of space. The third hall is the F. Ergokment Hall, which accommodates 50 delegates and covers an area of 93sq metres (1001sq feet). There are also four VIP lounges, including those for passengers of Turkish Airlines and British Airways, as well as the Millenium Lounge, serving other First Class and Business Class passengers
Transport to the city: The Havas service bus (tel: (212) 663 0609) to Aksaray and Taksim Square departs from the domestic terminal every 30 minutes, 0600-2300 (journey time – 30 minutes). Buses also travel to the Akmerkez shopping centre in Etiler every hour, 0700-2100. Taxis (tel: (212) 574 2814 or 2884) are a little quicker but much more expensive. The average price of a journey to the Sultanahmet area (the main tourist zone) is US$10.
Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW)
81440 Pendik
Tel: (216) 585 5000. Fax: (216) 585 5114.
E-mail: marketing@sgairport.com
Website: www.sgairport.com
The airport is located 20km (12.5 miles) east of the city centre, 45km (28 miles) east of the European centre of Istanbul and 1.5 km (one mile) from the TEM motorway. This new airport, opened in 2001 and named after a Turkish female combat pilot, has two terminals and was meant to relieve congestion at Ataturk Airport but, at the present time, primarily serves military and cargo planes.
Major airlines: There are currently no passenger airlines serving Sabiha Gökçen International Airport.
Airport facilities: These include information and help desks, ATMs, a bank, post office, duty-free shops, gift shops, bookshops, restaurants, cafés, a VIP lounge, conference and business facilities and parking. Car hire is provided by AtesTur Rent A Car (tel: (216) 588 0021; fax: (216) 588 0023; e-mail: rentacar@atestur.com; website: www.atestur.com), located in the international terminal (arrivals), just after the baggage reclaim area.
Business facilities: A business centre, equipped with telephone, fax and Internet services, is available in the CIP lounge, which is located in the international terminal. There is also an executive lounge.
Transport to the city: There is Havas shuttle bus service (tel: (212) 663 0609) to the city (journey time – 45 minutes) and to Ataturk Airport (journey time – 60-70 minutes), with service points at Ulusoy bus terminals. Taxis are available 24 hours a day.
Approximate flight times to Istanbul: From London is 3 hours 30 minutes; from New York is 9 hours; from Los Angeles is 13 hours; from Toronto is 10 hours and 30 minutes and from Sydney is 22 hours.
Arrival/departure tax: Approximately US$12 usually included in the cost of the ticket.
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General
