Rize-Artvin airport in northeastern Turkey to be built at sea

The feasibility study for the Rize-Artvin Airport, Turkey's second airport and the world's third to be constructed on reclaimed land, was signed on May 12, 2014, by the High Planning Council (YPK). The airport will be modeled after the Ordu-Giresun Airport which was built on an artificial island. The Rize-Artvin Airport will have two-and-a-half times more stone.

Despite being constructed at sea, the airport will be the same size and share the same characteristics as mainland airports. The width and length of the runway, which was modeled using Boeing 737-800 type aircraft as references, span 45 meters and 3 kilometers, respectively. Along with the terminal building and other superstructure facilities, the airport will be able to serve 2 million passengers annually. The planned region for the airport, which will be built on the Yeşilköy and Pazar coast line - 34 kilometers from Rize's city center, 105 kilometers from Trabzon and about 75 kilometers from Artvin - is nearly 30 meters deep in the sea.

The harbor, which will be built 120 kilometers from Artvin, will include a 3-kilometer-long runway, a 250-meter-long vehicle track, an apron and a terminal building. While the airport's YPK decision was issued and the public information meeting regarding the Environmental Impact and Assessment Report was held, the ground drilling study and bathymetric mapping work for the airport were also completed. A protection breakwater-type section, infrastructure final project preparation and construction plan works were initiated. The cost is projected to range from TL 600 million (approximately $204.85 million) to TL 750 million to for infrastructure and TL 150 million for superstructure with the Transportation, Maritime and Communications Ministry including the project in the 2016 investment program. After its addition to the 2016 investment program, work on the infrastructure bid is progressing.