ANKARA
Turkish Airlines embarked on a mammoth logistical operation Friday, moving from its old base at Ataturk Airport to the newly built Istanbul Airport.
The airline described the operation as “The Great Move” (Buyuk Goc), which is expected to last 45 hours and involve 707 trucks and 800 personnel.
ISTANBUL, TURKEY – APRIL 05: Turkish Airlines plane, took off from Ataturk Airport without passengers, is seen landing at new Istanbul Airport, on April 05, 2019 in Istanbul, Turkey. The big switch from Ataturk Airport to the new mega-Istanbul Airport started. Starting on April 5 at 3.00 a.m. local time (0000GMT), the initial moving operation will take a total of 45 hours. Istanbul Airport, the “world's new hub", officially opened on October 29, 2018, the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic. ( Serhat Çağdaş - Anadolu Agency )
“10,000 pieces of equipment weighing 47,000 tons were tagged piece by piece,” it said on its official Twitter account.
Turkish Airlines CEO Bilal Eksi also discussed the move on Twitter.
“#BuyukGoc is being followed step by step. We are able to monitor all transportation processes instantaneously with the software developed by our transportation company Arkas,” he said.
The national flag carrier also announced that due to the relocation, there will be no flights from Ataturk Airport as of 2 a.m. Saturday (2300 GMT).
There will be a period of 12 hours during which there will be no commercial passenger flights from both Ataturk and Istanbul airports until the first flight from the new airport to Ankara on Saturday at 2 p.m. (1100 GMT).
During the relocation between the two airports, major roads in the city will be closed to traffic to ensure a secure operation.
Founded in 1933, Turkish Airlines flies to more than 300 destinations in over 120 countries -- 49 domestic and 257 international.
Last year, it carried more than 75 million passengers with a seat occupancy rate of 82 percent.
