Istanbul, Dec 10 (IANS): Istanbul Airport, Turkey's largest aviation hub, will launch simultaneous takeoff and landing operations on all three runways to accommodate the growing passenger capacity, as announced by the transport and infrastructure minister.

"On April 17, 2025, we will begin simultaneous takeoff and landing operations on all three runways at Istanbul Airport," Abdulkadir Uraloglu said in a statement.

"This will allow us to minimise operational delays. Additionally, we will maximise fuel savings and flight efficiency," the minister added.

Under its expansion plan, the airport will have six runways by 2028. "With the commissioning of the new runways, the efficiency of air traffic operations will further improve," Uraloglu noted.

The airport served approximately 76 million passengers last year and aims to increase this number to 81 million by the end of this year.

Istanbul Airport officially opened in late October 2018 and became fully operational in early April 2019.