Istanbul New Airport Delayed Opening Until March 2019
In a sudden but not unexpected move, the opening of Istanbul New Airport has been delayed yet again. According to Turkish news agency T24, the airport, which was most recently supposed to open at the end of December 2018, will now open in March 2019.
The decision to postpone the airport opening was made at a meeting on Tuesday with Turkey's Minter of Transport and Infrastructure. Also present were airport officials. All of whom chose to delay the opening until March — a decision that took about two hours.
Istanbul New Airport is open at this time, though with only a few domestic and regional routes that have been operating since its October 2018 soft launch. On Dec. 30, 2018, the new airport, which is currently operating under the IATA code "ISL," was supposed to take over all Istanbul operations, and the "IST" code from Istanbul Ataturk Airport.
The airport's soft opening came after just 42 months of construction, however, as of October, there was still plenty of construction ongoing.
All images by the author.
TPG featured card
at Bilt's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 1X | Choose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee |
| 2X | Earn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases |
Pros
- Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
- Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
- $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
- $200 Bilt Cash annually
- Priority Pass membership
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Moderate annual fee
- Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
- Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.