It is big, big news. Big enough to support 90 million international passengers every year, with the potential for 200 million. Istanbul New Airport, constructed over an area of 76.5 million square metres, which opened on Turkey&rsquos National Day, October 29, is now the largest in the world. Istanbul&rsquos third international airport after Istanbul Atat&uumlrk Airport and Sabiha G&oumlk&ccedilen International Airport, it is being developed by IGA, a joint venture by five major companies.

The work has been ongoing since 2013 and we just saw the launch of the first phase. Built on the shores of the Back Sea, the airport is a staggering colossus, to say the least a 42km-long luggage system, a groundbreaking tulip-inspired (symbolic of Turkish culture) ATC tower, a 25-year duty-free retail deal with Unifree&mdashthe largest in the world&mdashthat will result in 53,000 square metres of shopping space, a terminal building of 1.44 million square metres in the first stage, six eventual runways, and even an airport city project that will include hotels, offices, shopping centres and entertainment, among many other things. Its terminal will have elements inspired by Turkish-Islamic culture, mosques, baths, domes and historical structures, while staying super futuristic. 

The launch, so far, has been symbolic, since only a few flights will depart from here for the time being, with a complete shift planned for the end of the year. Turkish Airlines is expected to launch flights to three new destinations out of this new aviation Goliath&mdashto Ankara, Antalya and Izmir.