​​​​​​In a meeting with members of the press, DHMİ General Manager and Chair Funda Ocak confirmed that Istanbul New Airport will open on Oct. 29 as previously announced by the Transportation, Maritime Affairs, and Communication Minister Ahmet Arslan.

"The third airport will be operational on the due date. All development works to this point suggest that there will be no delay or setback."

She added that the 42-month period was not enough for the construction of a new airport that consists of two independent runways, 8 million square meters of covered area, 1.4 million square meters of the terminal and other support buildings, but the suitable weather conditions this year have helped them finish the project on time.

​​​​​​​"We have received a new flight code for Atatürk Airport from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). From now on it will work under the code ISL, and its current code IST will be assigned to Istanbul New Airport," she said.