Istanbul Airport’s 1st int’l flight lands in N. Cyprus

The first international flight from Turkey’s newly opened Istanbul Airport landed in Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on Wednesday.

The flight TK 978 successfully landed at Ercan International Airport in the capital Lefkosa.

The Boeing-737 jet of Turkish Airlines was welcomed by local authorities with a water salute.

At full capacity -- with the completion of all four phases with six runways -- Istanbul Airport is set to become a major global aviation hub by hosting more than 100 airlines and flights to over 300 destinations around the world.

The €6 billion ($7.2 billion) first stage of the airport, which was built in nearly three years through a public-private partnership model and officially opened on Monday, is one of a series of mega-projects planned for Turkey’s 2023 centennial.