As part of the repair work of the damage caused at Hatay Airport runway due to earthquake disasters, IGA construction and technical teams worked continuously for 96 hours, intervening at all points where the runway was damaged. The repair work on the runway was completed on February 12th Sunday and Hatay Airport was ready for operation.

Due to the heavy damage it suffered after the earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.7 and 7.6 centered in Pazarcık and Elbistan districts of Kahramanmaraş, the Hatay Airport runway, which had become unusable and all flights were suspended, was repaired with the hard work of IGA construction and technical teams who quickly reached the region. The work on the two-kilometer section of the airport runway, which is of vital importance for delivering logistic aid to the disaster area, was completed on February 12th Sunday and the airport was made ready for operation.

As a reminder, following the earthquakes that shook the entire region, Hatay Airport was closed to traffic due to fragmentation and cracks in 45 different points of the three-kilometer runway. The airport, which is approximately six kilometers away from the city center and of critical importance for the timely arrival of aid to the region, was expected to be opened as soon as possible.

“The operation of Hatay Airport is of vital importance for the delivery of aid”

Emphasizing that IGA’s construction and technical teams intervened quickly at 45 different points by working continuously for four days, Deputy General Director of Technical Services of IGA Istanbul Airport Fırat Emsen said that Hatay Airport, which is expected to play a vital role in the rapid and effective delivery of logistic aid to the earthquake victims in Hatay and surrounding provinces, will turn into a lifeline for the region as a result of the successful operation carried out by IGA teams. “Our 150-member IGA technical team repaired 45 large and 250 small repair points in a very short time frame of 96 hours. We can say that about 5 thousand square meters of area was repaired and re-made with asphalt and concrete materials that are technically compatible in four days. A total of 50 construction machines were used in the area and finally, in such a short time, we repaired our runway and made it ready for operation. Our goal is to open the two-kilometer section of the runway here first, then continue to restore the other part. I would like to express my gratitude to all my colleagues who worked day and night to make this possible,” Emsen said.