Istanbul Metro Line to Airport Opens, Cutting Travel Time to 30 Minutes

Turkey's Ministry of Transport announced the opening of the 21.75‑kilometre Halkalı‑Arnavutköy metro segment on 19 June, attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The new line adds five stations – Ibn Haldun University, Kayaşehir, Olimpiyatköy, Halkalı Stadium and Halkalı – and links to existing networks including the Vezneciler‑Sultangazi‑Fenertepe, Bakırköy‑Kirazlı‑Başakşehir‑Kayaşehir, Ataköy‑İkitelli‑Olimpiyat and Kabataş‑Mecidiyeköy‑Mahmutbey‑Bahçeşehir‑Esenyurt metros, as well as Marmaray at Halkalı.

Integration of these routes will reduce the journey between Halkalı and Istanbul Airport to about 30 minutes, according to Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu: "Sağlanan bu entegrasyonlar sayesinde; Halkalı‑İstanbul Havalimanı arası seyahat süresi 30 dakikaya düşecek." Earlier phases of the project opened in January 2023, January 2024 and March 2024, completing the corridor that connects the city centre with the airport.