IGA the operator of Istanbul's airport stated on 1st July, a special center for conducting Covid-19 tests has been established for the passengers at Istanbul Airport. The center has the capacity of conducting 38,000 to 40,000 tests per day.
The swab samples taken from the throat and nose of the passengers will be processed and examined in the laboratories located at the airport terminal and the results will be delivered to passengers within two hours, Fatih Mere, IGA's operations control director, told reporters.
The passengers will have a PCR test before departure and after arrival. The test results will be sent via email in Turkish and English or hard copies will be provided to the passengers who are going to travel abroad or are returning to Turkey.
The center has been established in line with the joint demands of the Health Ministry and the Culture and Tourism Ministry of Turkey. The center has 50 cabins for taking samples. The hourly capacity will be 2,000 tests. The Health Ministry fee of PCR tests are 110 Turkish liras (around $16).
Turkey has no profit margin here. It is a service that Turkey offers to ensure that passengers can have their tests done and continue their flights without stress. In the first phase 520 airport staff tested before the passengers arrived, noting that all test results turned out to be negative.
The international airport, whose first phase officially opened in October 2018, is one of the most important and largest airports in the world with around 100 million annual passenger capacity. It is projected to serve 200 million passengers annually with full capacity after the completion of all four phases with six runways by 2028.
