Istanbul Airport

Its supposed to be the world's largest terminal under one roof. Gorgeous terminal with really high ceilings and breathtaking design. But I find the furnishings don't fell like as high end as some other top international terminals out there. Cons: The world's biggest terminal, but there not a train system connecting any of the gates. You have to navigate through walking, not even a moving sidewalks. Pros: Design. Very modern. Amenities, the BEST Food Court. Customs and Immigrations : Fast and Efficient.

The staff are very attentive and courteous. The security checkpoints as well as others are getting disinfected frequently. It's a huge airport so make sure you have a 15 minute walk planned ahead of your boarding time. There are also buggies that can take you to your gate located at certain points. There is an app for the airport you can download, very helpful for guidance. Just a little hint for travellers wishing to get a local SIM card for their phone: (the amounts and rules change frequently so make sure to get current regulations and prices at the local SIM card provider) If you arrive at the airport and are planning on getting a local SIM card for your phone, if the phone was not purchased in Turkey, you can only use the phone with the local SIM for a few months. If you are planning on visiting Turkey often, this would lock your phone out of the local phone network if you try to use a local SIM card again in the future. The moment you place the local SIM card in your foreign phone the clock starts and will block your phone's IMEI number from the system after a few months. For travellers wishing to visit often, it's a better bet to either get a solid international plan, or plan on purchasing a phone from Turkey to use with the local SIM card. The duty free is amazing. You'll be in for a treat. Have a good flight!🙏

Today, airport authorities let only passengers to enter the departure hall. Additionally, Turkish airline made it compulsory to have corona test results for flight to Pakistan. For other countries, please confirm before going to airport. Test center is on the airport but due to many passengers it takes about 4-5 hours. Please mark caution and arrive at airport well in advance. Rough calculation comes to 7-8 hours early. 3 hours before flight departure + 4 hours for the test. Please add time to reach airport from the city. Additionally, I observed traffic jam between 5-6 pm on my way back from airport.

The airport is big, huge! Great architecture and design but although that is much appreciated it doesn't take into consideration that an airport should be practical. It takes ages to go from one gate to another when in transit or simply reaching the exit. There's not a lot of sitting available or places to get food. A lot of luxury and duty free shops but honestly when I'm travelling I rarely need that.

Istanbul airport perhaps is one of its kind, apart from being one of the busiest airports in the world it is also aesthetically pleasing with a beautiful indoor environment. The indoor is very spacious both horizontally and vertically created with a space frame supported by structural columns at regular intervals. The glazing of the indoor space is transparent making it easier for the passengers to view departure and arrival of the plane at the outdoor environment which generates a sort of amusement to the passengers in the indoor