Tag: Ataturk Airport

  • Istanbul airport climbing rank to join London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle as Europe’s top air hubs

    Istanbul airport climbing rank to join London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle as Europe’s top air hubs

    Istanbul’s Ataturk airport attracted 12.4 million passengers in 2013 making it one of Europe’s busiest air hubs. Photo: Ugurhan Betim/Ataturk airport

    Istanbul’s Ataturk airport lured more travellers than Frankfurt and Amsterdam in the first quarter, setting the Turkish Airlines base on course to establish itself as Europe’s third-busiest air hub this year.

    Ataturk, Europe’s No. 5 airport in 2013, boosted passenger numbers 11 per cent to 12.4 million, edging past Frankfurt, last year’s No. 3, on 12.2 million and the 11.2 million at Amsterdam, the No. 4, according to the latest traffic data.

    The airport, west of Istanbul on the European side of the Bosporus, is benefiting as Turkish Airlines piles on capacity to tap local growth and build a long-haul transfer base. Should Ataturk cement its first-quarter standing, Frankfurt will find itself outside the top three for the first time since the 1960s.

    “Growth has been enormous in Turkey for years but this will mark a changing of the guard,” said Hans-Peter Wodniok, an analyst at Fairesearch GmbH in Kronberg, Germany. “West European airports are losing transit passengers, which are the most lucrative as they spend the most in airport shops, and it’s even worse for airlines, who are losing customers entirely.”

    Istanbul Ataturk, renamed in 1980 after modern Turkey’s first president, boosted passenger numbers almost 14 per cent to 51.2 million in 2013, the biggest gain among the world’s top 30 hubs after Kuala Lumpur, following a 21 per cent jump in 2012.

    Frankfurt posted a 0.9 per cent advance to 58 million and Amsterdam had a 3 per cent gain to 52.6 million, according to March 31 rankings from Airports Council International. Europe’s top hubs are London Heathrow, with 72.4 million passengers last year, and Paris Charles de Gaulle, with 62 million.

    Istanbul also lured 544,000 more passengers than Amsterdam Schiphol in the first quarter of 2013, only for the Dutch hub to retain No. 4 spot for the year after the peak-season surge.

    The three-month gap now stands at almost 1.3 million, based on figures published April 7 and April 15, suggesting the Turkish hub may make its advantage stick through the summer.

    Ataturk’s 200,000-passenger quarterly lead over Frankfurt translates into a swing of almost 700,000 people year-on-year, indicating that the airports may end 2014 neck and neck.

    The German hub expects 2 to 3 per cent growth to about 59.5 million travellers as Deutsche Lufthansa AG, which has its main base there, uses bigger planes. To beat that total Istanbul’s full-year growth rate would need to reach about 16 per cent.

    Sani Sener, chief executive officer of TAV Havalimanlari Holding AS, which operates the airport, anticipates growth of as much as 10 per cent, backed by the city’s status as “a tourist destination and financial hub,” he said in an e-mail.

    Frankfurt’s passenger tally took a battering this month as a pilot strike caused Lufthansa to scrap 3,800 flights. At the same time, a mild winter has pared weather-related disruption.

    Established airports in western Europe are also under pressure from fast-expanding Gulf hubs such as Dubai and Doha -headquarters to Emirates and Qatar Airways – which like Ataturk are exploiting a fortunate geographical location to set themselves up as intercontinental crossroads.

    Like the Arab carriers, Turk Hava Yollari, as Turkish Air is known in full, has built a major wide-body fleet for long – haul operations. With Turkey’s population of 76 million dwarfing the Gulf city-states, the carrier has also established a much bigger narrow-body fleet for domestic and short-haul routes.

    Ataturk, in which Charles de Gaulle-owner Aeroports de Paris has an interest via a 38 per cent stake in TAV, has also been aided as a weakening Turkish lira boosts competitiveness as West European rivals emerge more slowly from the recession.

    With a 12-month rolling passenger count of 52.6 million through March, the main obstacle to Ataturk’s expansion may be its capacity limit of about 60 million. Booming demand there and at Istanbul’s secondary Sabiha Gokcen hub – where the passenger count quadrupled in five years – has prompted Turkey to award construction contracts for an all-new super-airport able to handle as many as 150 million passengers per year.

    “The Turks are thinking big,” said Fairesearch’s Wodniok, who has a reduce rating on Frankfurt airport owner Fraport AG. “It’s a bit of megalomania, but then you do have to have the infrastructure in place before people can use it.”

    Ataturk ranked No. 18 in the 2013 ACI standings, up from No. 30 two years earlier. Frankfurt was ranked 12th, Paris Charles de Gaulle 8th and Heathrow third.

    The order of the world’s top six airports remained unchanged, with Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson, home to Delta Air Lines Inc., topping the table on 94.4 million passengers, 11 million ahead of Beijing even after a 1.1 per cent annual drop.

    via Istanbul airport climbing rank to join London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle as Europe’s top air hubs.

  • Turkey’s Ataturk Airport broke the air traffic all-time record

    Turkey’s Ataturk Airport broke the air traffic all-time record

    Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport broke the air traffic all-time record with 1,171 landings and take-offs on April 25, ahead of an approaching tender for the third Istanbul airport.

    The largest of Istanbul’s airports has the highest growth rate of any of the world’s airports that host more than 10 million passengers per year, the General Director of State Airports Authority (DHMİ) Orhan Birdal said in a statement on April 26, Hurriyet Daily reports.

  • Istanbul Ataturk Airport Accessibility Report

    Istanbul Ataturk Airport Accessibility Report

    Twenty second busiest airport in the world, Istanbul Airport access facilities and services are overall good, but feature one facility being the cause for safety concern.

    Just short of 45 million passengers made use of Istanbul Atatürk airport in 2012. Of those, approximately 240,000 where disabled passengers flying Turkish Airlines. The airport buildings are owned by a government controlled company, while the airport is operated by privately owned TAV Airports. French stakeholder Aeroports de Paris controls 38% of TAV Airports.

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    Reduced Mobility Rights visited Atatürk International Terminal on 19 February. Terminal 2 is the newest, inaugurated in 2000. PRM service provider at Istanbul airport is Tez Medikal. The service is branded PortClinic.

     

    Prior to our walkabout in the airport’s facilities, we sat down with management of the airport authority, of Turkish Airlines, and PortClinic for a briefing on services available to disabled passengers.

     

    PRM information immediately available was related to services provided to passengers with reduced mobility flying Turkish Airlines. Data presented reflects dynamics and percentages mirroring access assistance services provided in airports across the EU, with wheelchair assistance being the most common request for support.

    Like every other visit, we begin from the entrance to the main terminal building. There were no wheelchair accessible taxis in sight; therefore, it is highly recommendable to pre-book this service.

     

    There are numerous calling points, some wheelchair accessible, in the proximity of Terminal 2 entrance doors. Some columns provide information in braille for the visually impaired while all are fitted to be of use to the hearing impaired. Disabled passengers arriving at the airport can be met by access agents at these calling points, or make their way to the airlines’ counters. Turkish Airlines has its own exclusive special assistance counter at the right end of the Terminal building.

     

    All passengers are subject to a complete security checks upon entering Istanbul airport. Each check point features a priority lane dedicated to disable passengers.

    PortClinic addressed the difficulty of operating in a large size terminal environment by introducing powered wheelchairs. These smart vehicles are well perceived by disabled passenger, and allow access agents to provide quality support without excessive physical effort.

    Once completed check in formalities, passengers are helped through passport control. The airport features a dedicated priority channel for disabled passengers.

     

    Once reached the airside of the terminal, disabled passengers can make use of dedicated waiting areas, or ask to be taken to one of the numerous restaurants located in the departure hall.

    As we walk through the always accessible terminal, we come across a serious safety concern. Accessible toilets feature a power operated door. Shortly after pressing the open button, we are hit by the opening door. We move aside to allow the door to open completely. Within seconds the door begins to close, inevitably pushing us forward. The experience is unpleasant for an able body, and we see the hazard it represents if the door is operated by a person in a self-propelled wheelchair, a blind passenger, or a passenger with mental delay.

     

    Expanding our reach, consequences could become catastrophic if the door is operated by an unaccompanied child. Reduced Mobility Rights appreciates our note of concern has been received by Istanbul airport management, and that an immediate investigation has been opened to identify ways of making access to these toilets safe.

    On a brighter note, Istanbul Atatürk features a medical area to accommodate passengers with medical problems. The room is manned by paramedics at all times, to ensure medical emergencies can be tackled immediately.

     

    The airport operates ambulifts to assist passengers with reduced mobility to board and deplane aircraft parked on remote stands.

     

    During our tour, we noted as communication skills can present a problem. Not all access agents have knowledge of a second language, and knowledge of the English language is short of rare.

     

    With ambitious plans of expansions to become a 150 million passengers per year hub by 2018, and being

    home of Turkey’s flag carrier, which also aims to become a global airline, Atatürk faces the challenge to be able to provide access services and facilities matching its intentions.

     

    Reduced Mobility Rights believes this interim report highlights two areas where immediate action is needed. Our goal is to promote inclusion and access in the aviation industry. In this perspective, we are available to Istanbul airport management to provide in-depth technical analysis and strategic advice to ensure Istanbul Atatürk airport can provide excellent access facilities and outstanding support services.

     

     

    About the author

     

    Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Reduced Mobility Rights, Roberto Castiglioni is an expert of PRM regulations and handling procedures, and has personal experience as travelling partner and carer of a passenger with reduced mobility.

     

    Roberto is a member of the Disability Working Group of the Civil Aviation Authority. He is also a member of the Easyjet Special Assistance Advisory Group. Chaired by David Blunkett MP, the independent advisory group esaag provides Easyjet with strategic guidance and practical advice on the evolving needs of passengers requiring special assistance.

    via Istanbul Ataturk Airport Accessibility Report | The News.

  • A Visit To The Turkish CIP Lounge – One Of The Best Star Alliance Lounges!

    A Visit To The Turkish CIP Lounge – One Of The Best Star Alliance Lounges!

    On our recent trip to Istanbul and London, we had a chance to visit Turkish Airlines’ CIP Lounge located inside the Ataturk Airport in Istanbul (The CIP stands for Corporate Incentive Program).

    We arrived early at the airport for our Lufthansa flight to London (via Munich) specifically to make sure we had ample time to experience the well regarded lounge. The lounge had been through a major renovation and was re-opened on July 19, 2011. What we experienced would not disappoint!

    After going through the formalities with the Lounge Attendant and entering the Lounge, the first thing that caught my eye was the Billiards table that was set up for guests to use. I’ve seen pictures of the lounge previously, but it still caught me by surprise. Normally you would not expect that in an airline lounge.

    Billiards pass the time before a flight…..

    Another feature that I normally do not see when using a lounge (especially in the USA) is an area to securely lock your luggage in a locker. You set your own combination much like the safe in a hotel room and are free of your luggage while in the lounge or if you decide to leave the lounge and explore the airport shopping areas.

    Safe and secure storage of your luggage

    The architecture is certainly unique within the lounge (I mean that in a very good way!). The 32,000 square foot lounge is segmented into “Spheres” using circular structures that help break up the size of the lounge. At the same time it does lend a sense of warmth to what otherwise would just be one extremely large room.

    The circular design lends warmth to the lounge

    A view from the eating area toward the Biliiard “Room”

    Much of the Lounge is daylit. I noticed very little artificial light throughout the lounge. This also helped with the warm feel within the lounge. It also allows the lounge to have real flowers and tree throughout!

    Plenty of day light allows for live plants and trees

    In addtion to the Billiard Table, other forms of entertainment are offered for both young and less young. The lounge offers a dedicated Child’s Play Area, A dedicated Theatre Room, A Media Wall covered with flat screen TVs, a Player Piano as well as a bank of Apple Computers (not pictured)for use by lounge guests.

    Let the Lounge entertain your children

    As comfortable as a Home Theatre Room

    9 Screens…..something for everyone.

    Player Piano provides soft music

    The food service in the lounge is very good. We were there during breakfast service and had ample options including continental breakfast options as well as options such as Omelettes and Menemen from the kitchen area. Of course, the Coffee and Tea offerings were impressive, but what else would you expect in a Turkish Lounge!

    Dining Area adjacent to the Kitchen

    Additional Dining Area

    Excellent and delicious breakast!

    One food related item that stood out to me among all others was the way they “presented” honey. Normally honey is simply in a bowl or some single serve packet. Not here. The honey here is directly from the Hive, including the Hive’s frame. Its set up in such a way that the honey slow drips out of the Hive and into a serving plate. I thought this was spectacular!

    Fresh from the Hive…..

    Ample beverage choices including Coffee, Tea, Juices, Water and a self-service Wine cart:

    Large variety of Coffee and Tea

    Well stocked beverage cooler

    Self serve wines

    As much as I enjoyed our time in this lounge, there is one minor disappointment which has to do with it’s location. There is no decent view from the lounge. All the views look away from the airport, so there is no chance to watch the activity on the tarmac and runway. Some may not care, but being a “closet” plane-spotter, I would have liked to watch the Airplanes move about the airport while enjoying my eggs!

    A few other bits and pieces from the Lounge visit:

    The Lounge is accessible by passengers flying in Business Class from Istanbul, Star Alliance Gold Level members and Turkish’s Mile & Smiles Elite and Elite Plus members.

    The lounge is open daily from 5:00a to 1:00a

    To get your wifi password, you need to go back near the rest rooms and Apple Computer bank where an lounge attendant will give you the code.

    There are shower facilities available that allow you to wirelessly “sync” your Ipad, Ipod or Smartphone to a speaker system so that you can play your own music in your shower room.

    The lounge has private resting rooms available for guests.

    The lounge offers separate prayer rooms for Men and Women.

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    In closing, I have to say that this is one of the best Star Alliance Lounges available for Business Travelers and Star Alliance Gold level members. The suite of amenities are far and above what most other basic lounges offer. The uniqueness of the architecture and activities that are available in the lounge in my mind is what sets it apart from the rest. Mind you, I am not including Lufthansa’s First Class Lounges and First Class Terminal in this comparison!

    But seriously, if you ever find yourself in Istanbul with the credentials to enter the Turkish CIP Lounge, you have to do it!

    As I continue to add trip reports from our recent travel, I’ll update the “Table Of Contents” and include it with each trip report. Here is the most updated Table of Contents:

    Lufthansa First Class Services from Chicago to Frankfurt
    Lufthansa First Class Lounge in Frankfurt

    Istanbul – Sultan Ahmed (Sultanahmet) Mosque.
    Istanbul – The Basilica Cistern.
    Istanbul – Spice Market and Grand Bazaar.
    Istanbul – Park Hyatt Macka Palas.
    Istanbul – Our Day with Ihsan (besttaxidriver.com).
    Istanbul – Hagia Sophia.
    Istanbul – Other Mosques and Churches.
    Istanbul – I find out what Zultanite is….
    Istanbul – The Food We Found.
    Istanbul – Turkish Airlines’ International CIP Lounge.

    London – Hyatt Andaz Liverpool Street.
    London – Opening of Parliament – Great pictures of the Queen and procession to Parliament.
    London – ‘The Sunshine Boys’ at the Savoy Theater (Danny DeVito and Richard Griffiths)…..BRILLIANT, MUST SEE!
    London – Spitalfield’s Antique Market – And the lesson I learned.
    London – Churchill War Rooms and Churchill Museum.
    London – Photos from around town.
    London – Dinner at Petrus
    London – St. James Park. Very friendly squirrels and ducks.
    London – Covent Gardens.
    London – All the other things that I can’t think of at the moment….

    Pluckley – They said it was haunted……

     

  • Georgian Wine Attracts Thousands of Buyers Daily at Istanbul Ataturk Airport

    Georgian Wine Attracts Thousands of Buyers Daily at Istanbul Ataturk Airport

    Georgian Wine Attracts Thousands of Buyers Daily at Istanbul Ataturk Airport

    Written by Mariam Papidze

    05/09/2011 07:37 (20:35 minutes ago)

    duty free11

     

    The FINANCIAL — Six leading Georgian wine companies: Badagoni, Tbilvino, Kvanchkara LTD, Kindzmareulis Marani, Teliani Valley and Kakheti Traditional Wine Making are offering famous Georgian wine to the millions of passengers visiting Istanbul Ataturk International Airport .

    The six-month negotiations regarding this have been successfully completed.

    As a result of cooperation between the Ministry of Agriculture and TAV Holding, a ‘Georgian Wine Corner’ was opened in the Duty Free in Istanbul Ataturk International Airport on August 15, 2011. “This will help not only the popularization of Georgian wine, but will also raise awareness of the national wine production and international market position to expand,” announced the Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia.

    In 10 days 36,000 bottles of wine have already been sold.

    “On the first day, 120 bottles of wine were sold in one hour. Among them 50 were bought by Georgian customers,” said Tamer Cigeroglu, the manager of ATU Georgia. “Mainly Russian, Japanese and Chinese people buy Georgian Wine. The most popular Georgian Wines are dry red and white wines. The cheapest wine costs 4 EUR and the most expensive is priced at 35 EUR. The most delicious and pleasant drinking among all represented wines in Duty Free is a Georgian wine.” added Cigeroglu.

    In the Duty Free area only one flag can be seen: the Georgian one. The Georgian corner takes up 4 square metres and has 4 shelves. Georgian wine is currently competing with Spanish, Italian and French wines also represented in Ataturk International Airport . Among them are the most expensive wines costing 1400 EUR. The companies which want to sell their products in Istanbul Ataturk International Airport are expected to pay between 1 and 15 million EUR per year.

    From September 5, 2011 Georgian wine will be sold in Ankara and Izmir International Airport s as well. As well as this, Georgian wine will be represented in Tbilisi and Batumi International Airport s from September 25, 2011. As for the budget of this project, the reconstruction of a new Duty Free shop in Tbilisi International Airport will 230,000 EUR. A minimum of 70,000 EUR worth of products will be placed in the shop.

    With Tbilisi and Batumi International Airport s an annual agreement will be made. But in the case of Turkish Airport s the term isn’t restricted. “The agreement is perpetual. There will be a Georgian corner in the Duty Free zone as long as we require it,” said Cigeroglu.

    As Tea Zakaradze, Administration Manager of TAV Airport s Holding said, the new Duty Free shop is being built, where 10 Georgian wine companies can sell their wines.

    “Beforehand, we cooperated with only Teliani Valley. But as our goal is to popularize Georgian wine the network expansion was necessary. Over 823,000 passengers were registered in Tbilisi International Airport in 2010. This year, we are expecting about a million passengers. Now we are also negotiating with other Airport s operated by us. By the end of December we’ll know in which Airport s Georgian wines will be sold,” said Zakaradze.

    Besides Tbilisi , Batumi and Istanbul Ataturk International Airport , TAV Airport s Holding operates another 9 Airport s all over the world. Among them are Ankara, Izmir and Antalya Airport s in Turkey, 2 international Airport s in Tunisia and 2 in Macedonia. Also, TAV Holding has Airport s in Riga and Arabia. Approximately 300 airline companies of TAV Airport s Holding completed 416,000 flights and served about 48 million passengers in 2010.

    “Those companies, who will make an agreement with Tbilisi International Airport , would sell their products in our other operating Airport s as well. By this time, only 6 wine companies have been willing to cooperate with us. TAV Holding and the Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia offered to all Georgian wine companies their cooperation,” added Zakaradze.

    “This is good advertisement for Badagoni Wine and for Georgian Wine. The wines of Badagoni were awarded several medals and honourable diplomas by various national and international companies, so we’ll be representing Georgia properly,” said Liza Bagrationi, PR Manager of Badagoni.

    Those companies, who don’t participate in this project, have refrained from making any comments. Some of them say financial problems were the reason and some of them say they weren’t offered the chance to sell their wines in the Duty Free zone.

    via The FINANCIAL – Georgian Wine Attracts Thousands of Buyers Daily at Istanbul Ataturk Airport.

  • Wataniya Airways celebrates switch to Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport

    Wataniya Airways celebrates switch to Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport

    wataniya CrewWataniya Airways, Kuwait’s only premium service airline, today announced that its three flights a week to Turkey will now land at Ataturk International Airport instead of Sabiha Gokcen International starting November 2nd.

    Ataturk International Airport is Turkey’s major international hub, with its convenient location being the nearest to Istanbul’s city centre.

    Jassim AlQames, Head of Public Relations at Wataniya Airways said, “Istanbul has always been a popular destination for our guests in Kuwait, and our decision to move to Ataturk International Airport is part of our continuing efforts in listening to our guests and enhancing our service. We are delighted to offer our guests a premium travel option with Wataniya Airways, in suitable day-time flights, landing in Istanbul’s prime international hub, and providing them with more convenience and connectivity options beyond Istanbul.”

    Wataniya Airways has three scheduled weekly flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays to Istanbul. As a result of this change, guests who are members of Wataniya Diwan, Wataniya Airways’ innovative loyalty programme, will also benefit from additional number for flights between Kuwait and Istanbul.

    Ataturk International Airport is spacious and efficient with the full range of services, including, shops, cafes, restaurants, currency exchange and banking offices, baggage check, left luggage as well as an airport hotel. It is the most convenient airport for guests to access Istanbul and is well served by train, road and ferry services.

    Istanbul was Wataniya Airways’ first European destination city since the launch of the airline’s scheduled operations in January 2009. The airline began regular scheduled services to Istanbul in May 2010.