Türkiye is rebuilding its airport: This is how Trump’s new Air Force One lands in Ankara

Before the NATO summit in Ankara

Türkiye is converting an airport for Trump’s presidential jet

Turkey has converted a military airport for Trump’s new presidential plane. The project cost 120 million dollars – and there is a special reason for that.

The Türkiye before the NATO summit Ankara The Etimesgut military airport was rebuilt for $120 million to accommodate the new Air Force One USA to be able to receive. This is reported by the “Luxurylaunches” portal, citing Turkish media.

The aircraft, a Boeing 747-8, was donated to the United States by Qatar and, with a length of 76 meters and a maximum take-off weight of 442 tons, is the largest passenger aircraft that Boeing has ever built. The airport renovation took eight months and included, among other things, extending the runway from 2,450 to 3,000 meters and widening it from 42 to 60 meters.

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The adjustments are necessary because the aircraft places special demands on the infrastructure due to its enormous size and weight. With a wingspan of 68.4 meters, the Boeing 747-8 belongs to the highest Category F of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which only a few airports worldwide meet. Before the reconstruction, the runway at Etimesgut did not even meet the lower category E standards.

In addition to the runway, the taxiways, the navigation system and the lighting were also modernized. In addition, a 160,000 square meter apron was created that offers space for 44 aircraft. At the NATO summit, the new Air Force One was the largest aircraft Airport used.

The Boeing 747-8, which will replace the aging VC-25A fleet as the presidential aircraft, is longer and heavier than its predecessor. The previous Air Force One aircraft are based on the Boeing 747-200B from the 1980s and are significantly smaller.

The modernization of Etimesgut Airport shows how much the demands on the infrastructure have increased due to the new Air Force One. Even before it was handed over to the USA, the aircraft had required similar adjustments at airports as the Emir of Qatar’s private jet. This is how a runway was opened Sardinia Tested and approved specifically for the aircraft.