iGA Istanbul Airport's Efforts to Help the Earthquake Zone

Two major earthquakes that effect Türkiye's East, Southeast, Mediterranean, and Central Anatolian region hit Kahramanmaraş. From the first day of the earthquake, iGA Istanbul Airport has been active on the site, meeting the immediate needs of the evacuated guests arriving at the airport, using all means available to them.

iGA Istanbul Airport set up a crisis desk and mobilized all means and resources to bring relief to the earthquake zone. Police officers, firefighters, and search & rescue teams who gathered at iGA Istanbul Airport have been transferred to the earthquake sites. Flights carrying search & rescue teams gathered at the airport and took off, one after the other.

In addition, 24/7 operational support has been provided while aid and teams have been allocated in the disaster zone. Having dispatched more than 200 volunteers, mainly from Operations, Technical Services, Security, and ARFF (Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting), to the earthquake zone to work with AFAD in the search and rescue efforts, iGA Istanbul Airport is working hard to heal the wounds caused by the disaster. In this regard, 94 iGA Istanbul Airport personnel were deployed on the first day, while a 43-vehicle convoy of disaster aid teams reached the earthquake region. Fifty tons of water and food aid were delivered to the disaster sites.

The damage to Hatay Airport, which became unusable after the damage caused by the earthquake and led to an abrupt halt of all flights, has been repaired thanks to the hard work of iGA construction and technical teams who quickly arrived at this region. The high priority two-kilometer section of Hatay Airport's runway, which is vital for the delivery of logistics supplies sent to the disaster region, has been made operational and the runway was cleared for flights after the completion of the restoration efforts on Sunday February 12.

Continuing its long-term support and relief efforts in the region after the earthquake, iGA Istanbul Airport also took action to establish a container city to provide shelter for the victims who have lost their homes in Hatay.

Planned to be built on 30-acres of land next to the Hatay Provincial Gendarme Command and allocated to iGA Istanbul Airport by Hatay's Governor's Office, the 350-container city is expected to shelter 350 families. A team of 89 personnel and 34 construction vehicles are working in shifts 24/7 to have this container city ready for the victims as soon as possible. The construction work on this city, which has been fully undertaken by iGA Istanbul Airport, commenced on February 13 with plans for it to be completed at the end of the month.

Each 21 square-meter container, that will be shipped from Istanbul between February 20-26, will include furniture, a shower, a toilet, and a kitchen counter, and will be equipped to serve as a temporary shelter for a family of 5-6 people. In the newly-built campus, there will be social areas such as dining halls, kitchens, laundry rooms, playgrounds, and prayer rooms.