Atatürk Airport, Istanbul’s first international airport, was designed by my father, Hayati Tabanlıoğlu, in 1971. As aviation needs continued to grow, a larger terminal was later built on the same site, and eventually the new Istanbul Airport was constructed on the northern side of the European city to accommodate increasing demand.

In parallel with these developments, a major masterplan was initiated on the Asian side of Istanbul, where two terminal buildings and two runways were constructed sequentially. As the winner of the national competition, the third terminal phase was conceived as an integrated airport complex bringing domestic and international operations together under a single roof, enabling passengers to reach their gates with ease and to access the city seamlessly upon arrival.

Taking advantage of the natural topography, the multi-level parking structure—which occupies a substantial portion of the overall complex—is terraced and visually absorbed into the landscape, minimizing its impact on the site.