ISTANBUL, March 19 (Xinhua) -- A 14-kilometer metro line connecting Türkiye's largest international airport, Istanbul Airport, with the Arnavutkoy district of Istanbul was inaugurated on Tuesday.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, addressing the opening ceremony via live broadcast, stated that it would take eight minutes to travel from Arnavutkoy to Istanbul Airport using the new line.
Erdogan announced that the line would start operations on Wednesday morning, offering free transportation until March 31, when the local elections are scheduled to be held.
A 34-kilometer-long metro line connecting the airport to central Istanbul was launched in January last year, featuring China-made automated driverless trains capable of reaching a speed of up to 120 kilometers per hour.
According to Erdogan, the total length of Istanbul's rail system network has now reached 362 kilometers.
Since becoming operational in 2018, Istanbul Airport has rapidly emerged as one of the busiest aviation hubs in the region.
In 2023, the number of passengers utilizing Istanbul Airport surpassed 76 million, with the total number of flights reaching 506,000, according to the airport's management. ■
