AKIPRESS.COM - Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan is opening what he claims will eventually become the world's largest airport on the 95th anniversary of Turkey's establishment as a republic.

Its launch on Monday is symbolic with only limited flights beginning days later and a full move expected at the end of the year.

Istanbul New Airport, on the shores of the Black Sea, will serve 90 million passengers annually in its first phase.

At its completion in ten years, it will occupy nearly 19,000 acres and serve up to 200 million travelers a year with six runways.

The airport's interiors nod to Turkish and Islamic designs and its tulip-shaped air traffic control tower won the 2016 International Architecture Award.

It also uses mobile applications and artificial intelligence for customers, is energy efficient and boasts a high-tech security system.

All aviation operations will move there at the end of December when Istanbul's main international airport, named after Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, is closed down. Ataturk Airport now handles 64 million people a year.

On the Asian side of the city, Sabiha Gokcen Airport handled 31 million passengers last year. It will remain open.

Mr Erdogan is expected to announce the official name of the new airport, part of his plan to transform Turkey into a global player, The Independent reports.