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| Yeşilköy Airport | |
|---|---|
| Name | Yeşilköy Airport |
| Nativename | Yeşilköy Havalimanı |
| IATA | IST |
| ICAO | LTBA |
| Type | Public / Military (historical) |
| City-served | İstanbul |
| Opened | 1912 |
| Closed | 2019 (civil operations transferred) |
| Elevation-f | 163 |
| Elevation-m | 50 |
| Coordinates | 40°58′N 28°49′E |
Yeşilköy Airport served as İstanbul's principal international gateway for much of the 20th and early 21st centuries, functioning as a hub for transcontinental travel connecting Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Its evolution involved Ottoman-era aviation pioneers, Republican-era infrastructure expansion, Cold War strategic use, and late‑modern airline hub development, shaping regional transport networks and urban growth in İstanbul Province and the Marmara Region.
Yeşilköy Airport's origins trace to Ottoman aviation experiments linked to figures such as Sultan Mehmed V, Enver Pasha, and aviators influenced by Louis Blériot, Igor Sikorsky, and Anthony Fokker. Early facilities hosted events associated with the Balkan Wars, World War I, and developments involving the Ottoman Air Force and later the Turkish Air Force. During the interwar period, Turkish Republican planners including associates of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk prioritized expansion tied to projects like the Six Arrows reforms and institutions such as the General Directorate of State Airports (DHMİ). In the World War II and Cold War eras, Yeşilköy accommodated aircraft operations connected to NATO allied logistics, US‑led airlifts, and references to bases linked with RAF and USAF overflight coordination. Post‑war civil aviation growth paralleled the rise of carriers such as Turkish Airlines, BOAC, Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Lufthansa, AeroMéxico, Japan Airlines, British Airways, Alitalia, Aeroflot, El Al, Iberia, SAS, Swiss International Air Lines, Austrian Airlines, Finnair, Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, China Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Philippine Airlines, Pakistan International Airlines, Iran Aseman Airlines and EgyptAir shaped route networks. The airport's role in events like the 1960 Turkish coup d'état and the 1980 Turkish coup d'état intersected with military transport movements. Major terminal modernizations paralleled global projects such as expansions at Heathrow Airport, Charles de Gaulle Airport, Frankfurt Airport, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Madrid-Barajas Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport. By the 21st century, congestion and metropolitan planning motivated the development of the Istanbul New Airport project overseen by stakeholders including the Turkish Ministry of Transport, leading to the transfer of scheduled civil flights and partial closure.
Yeşilköy's infrastructure included multiple runways, taxiways, apron areas, cargo terminals, maintenance hangars, control towers and passenger amenities developed across decades, with input from engineering firms comparable to Arup Group, Atkins, Foster and Partners, Norman Foster, Zaha Hadid Architects, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, AECOM, Buro Happold, and HOK. Passenger facilities evolved with lounges operated by alliances such as Star Alliance, SkyTeam, oneworld, and carriers' premium services like Turkish Airlines Lounge models akin to Lufthansa Senator Lounge and Emirates Lounge. Cargo operations interfaced with logistics firms including DHL, FedEx, UPS, Turkish Cargo, Kuehne + Nagel, DB Schenker, Panalpina, Ceva Logistics, Maersk, and DPDgroup. Air traffic control procedures referenced ICAO standards and coordination with agencies like Eurocontrol, IATA and ICAO. On‑site maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) activities involved contractors comparable to ST Aerospace, L3Harris Technologies, Rolls-Royce plc, Pratt & Whitney, General Electric Aviation, Safran, and Honeywell Aerospace supporting fleet types from Boeing 747, Airbus A330, Airbus A320 family, Boeing 777, Boeing 737, Airbus A380 operations historically.
Yeşilköy hosted a broad mix of full‑service and regional carriers, with route networks linking to hubs such as London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Frankfurt Airport, Amsterdam Schiphol, Madrid-Barajas Airport, Rome Fiumicino, Moscow Sheremetyevo, Beijing Capital, Tokyo Haneda, New York JFK, Los Angeles International Airport, Dubai International Airport, Doha Hamad International Airport, Abu Dhabi International Airport, Singapore Changi Airport, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport, Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, Seoul Incheon International Airport, Toronto Pearson Airport, São Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport, Johannesburg OR Tambo International Airport, Cairo International Airport, Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport, Karachi Jinnah International Airport, Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Hanoi Noi Bai International Airport, Dhaka Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport and numerous secondary points. Alliances operating scheduled services included SkyTeam carrier concentrations led by Turkish Airlines alongside long‑haul operations by British Airways, Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and legacy carriers servicing international markets.
Access to Yeşilköy integrated surface transport networks linking with arterial corridors such as the D100 motorway, O-3 motorway, and public transport nodes connected to systems like İETT, Marmaray, Istanbul Metro, TCDD Taşımacılık rail services and intermodal terminals comparable to hubs at Esenyurt and Bakırköy. Shuttle services, taxis, bus lines operated by municipal entities and private operators coordinated with international standards similar to modal integration seen at Heathrow Express, Gatwick Express, RER in Paris, and S-Bahn services in Berlin. Parking, road signage and curbside operations were managed alongside municipal bodies including İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality and national transportation authorities.
Notable occurrences at Yeşilköy included incidents involving aircraft types such as Douglas DC-10, Boeing 707, Boeing 737, Ilyushin Il-62, Antonov An-24, McDonnell Douglas MD-11 and events investigated by safety agencies like Turkish Directorate General of Civil Aviation, European Aviation Safety Agency, National Transportation Safety Board and ICAO. Historical events intersected with regional crises such as the 1974 Cyprus conflict, aviation security incidents during periods linked to Red Army Faction and other Cold War‑era groups, and operational disruptions referenced in studies by organizations like Flight Safety Foundation and International Air Transport Association.
Following transfer of primary civil operations to the Istanbul New Airport, redevelopment proposals considered converting Yeşilköy land into mixed‑use developments involving stakeholders such as the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation, İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality, private developers including conglomerates similar to Doğuş Group, Koç Holding, Sabancı Group, and planning consultancies referencing models like Canary Wharf, Hudson Yards, Olympic Park London and Hudson River Park. Proposals ranged from renewed aviation functions for general aviation and military uses to large‑scale urban regeneration incorporating parks, cultural institutions like potential expansions of the Istanbul Archaeology Museums, exhibition centers compatible with events such as the World Expo and infrastructures for conventions akin to IFEMA Madrid and ExCeL London. Environmental assessments engaged agencies such as European Environment Agency and conservation groups parallel to WWF and IUCN in evaluating coastal, wetland and urban biodiversity impacts.
Category:Airports in Turkey Category:Transport in Istanbul Category:Defunct airports