TK operations from "Istanbul Airport" aka Istanbul New Airport (ISL/IST)
 

The full operational transfer from Atatürk airport to the new Istanbul airport will be postponed to 30/31 December according to IATA. TK will place 2 or 3 aircraft to test operations (largely domestic routes).

Üçüncü Havaliman?'n?n aç?l???nda gizli erteleme: Gerçek aç?l?? 31 Aral?k'ta | soL Haber Portal?

It's Ton that I feel sorry for - having his email and phone number plastered over the website....

Whoa! We are ticketed to fly to IST on 27th Dec and back out about a week later. So looks like we'll be into Ataturk, out of New. If the New TK lounge isn't fully operational then I'll cry. If it is and we're amongst the first to use it then I won't cry!

The headline on the linked article translates as:

"[Secret/disguised/hidden] postponement of the opening of the third airport: actual opening 31st December."

Article goes on to say that for one month after "soft" opening, only two or three THY on domestic routes will be operated.

Glad to officially know my JFK-IST flight next month will be to Ataturk. Will be quite interesting to see which domestic routes they choose for testing purposes, quite a logistical headache I would imagine.

I see a few ex-ISL domestic flights were already loaded into the GDS'e. For now a single frequency per day:

1TK 2124 C4 D4 Z4 K4 J4 ISLESB 1110 1235 73H M 0 DCA /E
I4 R4 Y9 B9 M9 A9 H9 S9 O9 E9 Q9 T9 L9 V9 P9 W9 U9
F9 X9 N9 G0


1TK 2030 C4 D4 Z4 K4 J4 ISLADB 1555 1725 73H M 0 DCA /E
I4 R4 Y9 B9 M9 A9 H9 S9 O9 E9 Q9 T9 L9 V9 P9 W9 U0
F9 X9 N7 G0


1TK 2129 C4 D4 Z4 K4 J4 I4 ISLAYT 1340 1515 73H M 0 DCA /E
R4 Y9 B9 M9 A9 H9 S9 O9 E9 Q9 T9 L9 V9 P9 W9 U0 F9
X9 N7 G0

From what date?

..................and how are the unlucky few passengers on these flights going to get to town? There is no train. There is no bus, the "taxi cooperatif" most likely will not have any cars there, unless literally someone responsible is reading this very thread, and makes sure that some are there..........

31 Oct as starflyergold correctly stated in his post.

It's about time they said what is going to happen!

Should be great for Ankara-Baku or Antalya-Ercan...

So what's with the lounge? Will be get to see some pictures?

Shuly

I think they have to actually finish building and furnish it first.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2fcf9fb35d.png
Wow, if I was in Turkey I would to an ISL-ESB return on 1 November just for fun. 118 TRY is so cheap!

You can fly the route tomorrow for 88 TRY.
That's why TK want you to redeem miles now on domestic flights !

Cheap status runs!!!

According to the announcement, no existing flights will be changed to operate to/from the new airport: "The flights from Istanbul New Airport will be additional. The flights already being carried out from Istanbul Atatürk Airport to Ankara, Antalya, İzmir, Azerbaijan (Baku) and TRNC (Ercan) will continue with their existing schedule until December 30, 2018."

Looking at the GDS'es I still do not see GYD flights loaded. For now schedule is limited to 4 daily flights (departure time and destination):

11.10 - ESB
13.40 - AYT
15.55 - ADB
17.50 - ECN

Edit - turkishairlines.com does not show any ISL-GYD flights, either - checked 9 Nov outbound, 14 Nov inbound

Cheap flight, sure.

But is there a similarly cheap, time efficient way of getting to ISL?

Spending Christmas week in Turkey (Izmir). Our return could be interesting given the recent announcement from TK. Flying out of IST on JOON on the 31st.. Could be interesting given the switch as we are currently booked on TK from Izmir to IST around midnight then leaving Joon at 5am on separate tickets.

Well, I don't have any intention of tolling around but from the various inside info that I collect: it may not be possible that all Ataturk passenger flights and all airlines transfer to the New Airport starting from Dec. 31st or Jan 1st (whatever). TK's 5 daily flights out of ISL (New Istanbul) fo the next two months will bring only partial green light. Moe depends on how much the Terminal can be readied, how much some of the essential support facilities outside the terminal can be finished and can be made really operational. Also airport to city transportation cases! Besides it is not so easy to transfer so many airlines, their staff and equipment to a new airport within say roughly 48 hrs. After all, you're not barely changing houses! This is particularly a big big burden for TK. The current rumors that I've been hearing is that "TK will be fully operational at the New Airport by May 29th, 2019. However, I don't yet have more detailed information as how TK will operate during this 5 months additional transition period (e.g. will they add more flights?) or what the position of the other airlines may be. The fact is that, there are certain risks of possible mid-air collisions if he wo airports are operated at the same time and particularly if the aircraft movements ae split 50%-50%. The safer scenario is 15-20% for current ISL (New Airport) and rest for current IST (Ataturk Airport). November and December 2018 TK operations out of ISL barely represents nil. so no problems at all!...

Wow... JOON, new IST airport, separate tickets - I hope it will all work out at the end... Please report back...

I would not worry, the local thoughts on this (including everyone in the Turkish airline industry that does not want to go on record which eerily is exactly what most right thinking people here on FT have been saying for months) is that the airport will not have major operations until at least this time NEXT YEAR at the earliest. Once the official opening occurs, the IGA partners start to get paid, etc, everyone is going to shut up about the big pronouncements and they are actually going to make sure that everything is built right and integrated right, and that this is going to take at least another 6 months to a year (much like Mafaky says), especially after it is rumored that at least one foreign carrier (or rather its aviation authority - not the FAA) last week said that they would not permit flights into ISL until certain things were changed. Supposedly there is another issue with flight paths, and Bulgaria that are being sorted out!

In the meantime GYD flights were added, full TK ISL schedule looks like as follows:

09.25 - GYD
11.10 - ESB
13.40 - AYT
15.55 - ADB
17.50 - ECN

Best thing I've read today!!
I am flying in several times a year and I am dreading an additional felt "eternity" on a bus to/ from the new airport after ~16hrs air travel.
Will definitely enjoy my 5min metro trip on my Nov. trip for a last time ;-)
Thanks for the info!!

@ hfly :

Well you have actually painted a worse scenario than I have done, for full operations side of the business. Moreover, there's a major problem under covers which you do not see. Indeed, IGA will start getting paid for the absence of passengers, immediately starting 30th Oct. 2018. However, the Passenger Service Fees actually represent a minor percentage of IGA's income. The much bigger income item is the rental fees they are charging to the tenants like duty-free, F & B outlets and other sales outlets, both at the airside and landside. It is well said these rental fees are horrible which automatically means the retail prices (except for the typical duty free items) will be horrible, particularly in the F & B and giftshop segment. But when these guys also have to face a very low pax traffic and therefore a rather poor sales potential, there will start even legal clashes between them and IGA. :mad::td:

Ok, so I guess I might be walking right into the middle of it all. We have an intl. flight that arrives at IST on Jan. 2nd with domestic connection (IST-ASR) leaving later that day. Arrival is on another carrier, departure on TK - separate tickets.

Sounds like it is possible that on Jan 2nd we will still arrive at the old IST but have to depart from the new airport?

Click and drag to the below link too see the very recent state of the Terminal and nearby facilities. Note that, only PB1 (F Gates Area) and PB2 (G Gates Area - Domestic terminal) will become operational after Oct. 29th. These are the two "east side" piers, the ones on the right hand side where the aprons look pretty much "clean"!

https://kuula.co/post/7PzrM?fbclid=I...D5tBep0tRkOEfs

The flights from the new airport are *additional* to the existing flights from IST - so I doubt that they'll have many pax on board, and certainly no transfer passengers....

Gotcha. I've been worried my original flight was going to become messed up, ever since the Oct. 31/Nov. 1 opening date was originally announced a few months ago. Glad there won't be any issues.

Although from the TK side, such a flight makes zero sense.

When I read 31 Dec as date for the moving I suddendly remembered the NYE snow mess in 2015/2016...

I really wonder whether the airport is actually ready now

The very latest news is that the € 500 million agreement between UniFree (the German Heinemann Group owned Turkish origin duty-free company) and IGA has been unexpectedly and very recently terminated. UniFree was entitled not only for the "traditional duty-free items" (liquer, tobacco, perfumery & cosmetics, etc.) but they have also sub-leased all non F&B sales outlets on the airside. Well, of course this has got little with the airport operations, but one wonders how a solution will be found to replace and rectify this last minute commercial mishap and make the place look like a real international terminal and real global hub!...:(:confused: