Istanbul: IGA Istanbul Airport is set to commission its fourth main runway, oriented along an east-west axis, on Thursday, bringing the air hub's total capacity to six landing strips, Trkiye's Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu said in a recent statement.

According to Anadolu Agency, Uraloglu stated that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will attend the opening ceremony of the newly constructed concrete runway, which is 2,820 meters (1.75 miles) long and 45 meters (147.6 feet) wide. This development marks the airport's first east-west runway.

The new runway is expected to reduce taxi and turnaround times, particularly for domestic flights and eastbound routes. This will allow the air hub to save on fuel and time, while enhancing its operational flexibility, even during adverse weather, and the on-time departure rate of flights.

The minister noted that the new east-west runway's close proximity to existing hangar facilities will allow general aviation operations to proceed more quickly and independently of standard commercial traffic.