Istanbul Atatürk Airport

The number of passengers passing through Turkish airports rose 9.1 percent annually in the first eight months of 2017, the country's airport authority announced on Sept. 7.

Turkish airports served more than 127 million people between January and August, up from 116.5 million in the same period last year, according to the General Directorate of State Airports Authority.

A total of 648 suspected members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) were detained and 282 were later arrested in 117 operations targeting the jihadist group in Istanbul over the past year, according to police data.

A Dutch citizen died early on Aug. 17 after suffering from a diabetic coma during a Turkish Airlines flight from Port Louis to Istanbul.

Ramduelarie Ramavadh, 68, had boarded a Turkish Airlines flight from the capital of Mauritius to Istanbul, in order to connect to a flight to Amsterdam.

The number of passengers passing through Turkish airports rose by 7.4 percent year-on-year in the first seven months of 2017, the country's airport authority stated on Aug. 7.        

The International Atatürk Airport will become an exposition area once Istanbul's giant third airport starts operating, Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications Minister Ahmet Arslan has stated.

Over half of the construction of Istanbul's third airport, which is projected by the government to be the largest in the world, has been completed, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım has stated.

''At the moment, 55 percent [of the airport] is ready. It will be completely finished by Oct. 29 next year," Yıldırım told state-run Anadolu Agency following an aerial tour of the site on July 9.

Turkey's transport minister and the Turkish Airlines chief executive have said they expect the ban on large electronic devices in the cabin of U.S.-bound flights from certain countries will be lifted on July 5.

Transport Minister Ahmet Arslan was quoted by state-run Anadolu Agency on July 4 as saying the ban would be lifted on July 5 following a visit by a U.S. delegation.

A delegation from the United States will visit Turkey soon to examine whether the country's key airports are complying with its latest security standards. Following these checks, the U.S. laptop ban may be lifted, a top Turkish official said on July 2.

Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov was on a visit to Turkey, where he met with Turkish President Recep Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on 13th of June, BNT reported. 

During the meetings in Ankara, he expressed Bulgaria's strong desire to work actively on improving the EU-Turkey relations.

Istanbul is the frame of Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on May 28 at an anniversary event for the 564th year of the conquest of Istanbul by the Ottomans.