https://www.ashgabatairport.com is Ashgabat international airport fan website
Ashgabat International Airport (Turkmen: Aşgabat halkara howa menzili) (IATA: ASB, ICAO: UTAA), formerly known as Saparmyrat Türkmenbaşy International Airport, is one of seven international airports in Turkmenistan. It is located within the city limits of Ashgabat. The old airport, with its air traffic control tower and a 3,700-metre-long (12,000 ft) precision approach runway (12L-30R), opened in 1994 and was named after the country’s first president, Saparmyrat Nyýazow. The new airport terminal opened in September 2016, after being completely redesigned and rebuilt and after the south runway was moved and lengthened to parallel the north runway.
Citizens of all countries have the right to visa-free transit through the international transit area of Ashgabat International Airport.
New building (2016)
The Turkmen government let an international tender in 2012 for reconstruction of the airport in Ashgabat, to be named “Oguz Han”. Polimeks, a Turkish construction company active in Turkmenistan since the late-1990s, was declared winner of the tender. Polimeks commissioned the Dutch aviation consultancy NACO (Netherlands Airport Consultants) to develop the basic design of the new terminal, with Marc Ibelings of Ibelings van Tilburg Architecten serving as project architect. The new airport was opened on 17 September 2016 by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow. The project cost $2.3 billion (€1.7 billion) and features a highly unusual terminal design in the shape of a falcon. The new airport has capacity to serve 14 million passengers per year at a rate of 1,600 passengers per hour. The airport covers 350,000 square metres (3,800,000 sq ft) and includes a passenger terminal, VIP terminal, cargo terminal with capacity to handle 200,000 tonnes of freight per year, a new air traffic control tower (ATCT), a maintenance hangar for three narrow-body aircraft, new fueling stations, catering, fire brigade, flight simulation, repair and maintenance buildings, parking space for 3,000 cars, a civil aviation school as well as a medical center. The airport has also a second 3,800-meter long runway to serve wide-body, double-deck jet airliners such as the Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-8. Current members of Toldy Construct team also contributed to this project. They helped to realize specialised construction and design elements of the facade and roof.
Facilities
Runways
Ashgabat International Airport now has two artificial runways, equipped with the second category ILS and platform, enabling them to take aircraft of all types. Their length is 3800 meters.
Cargo terminal
The cargo terminal at Ashgabat International Airport, spanning 17,174 m², can handle up to 200 tons of cargo annually. It has export and import zones, cold storage, specialized rooms for animals and plants, and a medical room. Equipped with an automated Elevating Transfer Vehicles (ETV) system, it supports efficient cargo handling, including loading and unloading. Storage areas are available for perishable goods, valuable items, and dangerous goods. The terminal includes 4 loading docks in the import section and 4 in the export section, as well as a distribution center for Turkmenistan’s national postal service Türkmenpoçta.
Hotel
For the crew and transit passengers, the Laçyn Hotel is a special hotel located in the transit zone of Ashgabat International Airport.
