Ghafari to Design Turkish Airlines Critical Facilities at New Istanbul Airport
Istanbul, Turkey – Global firm Ghafari Associates has been awarded a contract to provide full planning, architectural, and engineering services for airline operations support facilities at the New Istanbul Airport. Considered the largest and most strategic development project in the history of the Republic of Turkey, the New Istanbul Airport will serve as headquarters for Turkish Airlines’ operations as well as its primary hub airport.
Each facility developed under this contract will be among the largest of its kind in terms of size and operational capacity. Totaling nearly 167 hectares, Ghafari’s scope of work covers facilities for air cargo logistics, aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul, ground support services, and flight operations, including an integrated operational control center and in-flight catering. Design services for the site’s next-generation critical support facilities will be led out of Ghafari’s Istanbul office with support from the firm’s Aviation Design Center in Chicago, Illinois.
To meet the airport’s first-phase opening in early 2018, Ghafari is working on a fast-track basis, applying an integrated planning methodology and advanced technologies. Each building will be tied together through common architectural identities and materials to create a unified campus. Each structure will be developed as modernized and streamlined airline operational centers that accommodate the central hub’s future expansion and sustainability requirements. Applying best practices from previous international airport operations programs, Ghafari’s design will foster an efficient flow of personnel, materials, and equipment across each facility. Among many of the project’s challenges are the region’s seismic conditions.
“This major capital investment will not only expand and improve Turkish Airlines’ long-term operations, but will also place Istanbul’s new airport among the world’s most vibrant mega hubs,” says Ali Solaksubaşı, Ghafari’s President of Chicago Office and International Operations. “We are excited to help set a new standard in world-class aviation facilities.”
The airport will provide nearly 100 airline companies opportunities for flights to more than 350 destinations. The new airport’s first phase of operations will accommodate 90 million travelers, growing to more than 150 million in annual passenger volume upon completion. The new airport will be the world's largest airport built from the ground up.
“The team we assembled brings the best practices in aviation facility design,” states Mr. Bayram Temel, Construction + Property Manager at Turkish Airlines. “Istanbul’s newest airport will meet the region’s higher traveler volume as a destination of choice for those traveling between the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia. Ghafari brings the perspective of their many international carrier clients and airports, and the passengers they serve. This viewpoint is critical to developing the best-in-class facilities this project demands.”
