Turkey

NATO Summit in Ankara: Turkey Says Air Traffic Management for Summit Completed Successfully

Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said the capital's two airports saw 145 flights during the NATO summit

Mertkan Oruç, Yılmaz Öztürk

09 July 2026 • Updated: 09 July 2026

ANKARA

Ankara / Anadolu

Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu announced on Thursday that Ankara's Esenboga and Ankara airports recorded 145 flights during the two days of the NATO summit.

Over Tuesday and Wednesday, the capital Ankara hosted the 36th NATO summit, the second time Turkey has hosted it after 22 years since the Istanbul summit in 2004, amid rapid security and geopolitical shifts in Europe and the Middle East.

Uraloglu stated to Anadolu that air traffic was managed successfully during the summit, and that Ankara Airport received 82 flights during the mentioned period, compared to 63 flights at Esenboga Airport.

The minister stressed that the operations were carried out safely and without interruption in accordance with international standards.

He noted that Ankara Airport, which was inaugurated by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on June 15, has transformed after 8 months of renovation into an international aviation hub capable of receiving wide-body aircraft.

The works included extending the runway length from 2,450 meters to 3,000 meters and increasing its width from 42 meters to 60 meters.

Additionally, a new aircraft apron with an area of 160,000 square meters was built, accommodating about 44 aircraft simultaneously, along with an official guesthouse and a parking lot for 310 cars.