Ataturk International Airport (Atatürk Havalimanı)

Istanbul Atatürk Airport  (İstanbul Atatürk Havalimanı) is the main international airport serving Istanbul, Turkey (followed by Sabiha Gökçen International Airport) and the biggest airport in Turkey by total number of passengers. Opened in 1924 and located in Yeşilköy, on the European side of the city, it is 24 km (15 mi) west of the city centre. In 1980, the airport was renamed Atatürk International Airport in honor of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey. It served over 51 million passengers in 2013, making it the 17th busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic and the 10th busiest in the world in terms of international passenger traffic, ranking just below Munich Airport. It was Europe's 5th busiest airport in 2013, just below Amsterdam.

The Turkish Chamber of Civil Engineers lists Atatürk International Airport as one of the fifty civil engineering feats in Turkey, a list of remarkable engineering projects completed in the first 50 years of the chamber's existence.

In the 2013 Air Transport News awards ceremony, İstanbul Atatürk Airport was named Airport of the Year. Also, the airport has been namedEurope's Best Airport in 40-50 million passenger per year category at the 2013 Skytrax World Airport Awards.

 

There are several ways to travel between Atatürk International Airport and the city center.

• Subway Service: Metro service on the Istanbul Metro line M1A exists between Aksaray and Atatürk International Airport. The line goes through some major parts of the European side of the city, including the intercity bus terminal. The Metro takes the passengers to Aksaray in 30–35 minutes.The approximate cost is 0.75 euros one-way.
• Airport Shuttle Service: The shuttle services are operated by Havataş, which is one of the major ground handling companies within Turkey. The buses run half-hourly to Bakırköy, Yenikapı, Aksaray, Taksim Square. Also, there is a fast ferry terminal in Bakırköy which connects the terminal to Bostancı and Kadıköy. Havaş buses run between the airport and the fast ferry terminal according to the departures and arrivals of the ferries.
• Municipality Bus: Municipality buses also run to Taksim, Etiler and Kozyatağı. This is a slower but much cheaper alternative than Havataş.
• Car: The airport is accessible through the coastal road, D-100 international road and TEM (Trans-European Motorway).