As final preparations are underway for the grand shift to the enormous Istanbul Airport, the new center of Turkish civil aviation, national flag carrier Turkish Airlines (THY) has established a special corner for the most important beverage in Turkish daily life, tea, at the CIP lounge for international passengers.
The corner for Turkish tea, an integral part of Turkish culture, will promote the local beverage to the world in the comfortable lounge for THY passengers from around the globe.
Work on the 9,200-square-meter THY lounge for international passengers has reportedly reached the final stage.
Besides food and beverage points, this THY lounge also includes a library, playrooms for children and bedrooms for transit passengers. The lounge will open for service after the big transition to the new Istanbul Airport is complete.
In the biggest logistical operation in aviation history, Turkish Airlines is about to transfer from its old base, Atatürk International Airport, to its new home, the colossal Istanbul Airport, starting at 3 a.m. on Friday April 5.
The move to the new airport began with the opening of the new airport in October last year, with the final stage expected to take 45 hours and be completed just before midnight on April 6.
For the big migration to be completed and processed as planned, both the outgoing Atatürk Airport and incoming Istanbul Airport will be closed to all passenger flights between 2 a.m. and 2 p.m. that day.
Local Turkish cuisine will be offered to passengers in the private passenger lounge where food from world cuisine will also be offered
− tastes appealing to all kinds of taste buds.
The lounge, which is expected to make a significant contribution to Turkish gastronomy, includes some special corners as well, including the special corner for Turkish tea. Accompanied by a huge picture showing Black Sea women collecting tea, the corner is poised to introduce Turkish tea to the world.
Operations at Istanbul Airport after the grand move will begin at 2 p.m. on April 6, with the first flight departing for the capital's Ankara Esenboğa Airport.
Once all stages are complete, Istanbul Airport will be the world's biggest international airport, covering 76.5 million square meters. The first phase opened on Oct. 29, on the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Turkey.
The airport has the potential to welcome 90 million passengers annually, and following the second phase of construction, expected to be complete in 2023, this number is set to reach a staggering 200 million. The airport will operate flights to around 350 destinations worldwide, thus becoming one of the main aviation centers in the world.