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Istanbul’s airport is growing faster than any other major hub
TransportIstanbul airport posted the biggest jump in passenger numbers among the world’s major hubs last year, expanding almost one-third faster than the next-best performer as it captures traffic from Europe rivals. Istanbul’s near 21 percent increase in passenger numbers to 45.1 million made it one of only six airports among the top 30 to post [...]
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The politics of taxis in Turkey, where license plates cost $580,000
DestinationsBeyond the polished Fiats and Fords parked at the Oto Center in a remote working class district of Istanbul, traders tout an investment vehicle that has tripled in value over the last nine years: license plates for taxis that fetch about 1.05 million liras ($580,000). Prices quoted inside stores that act as a private bourse [...]
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Opinion: Why solo travel is still safe, no matter what happened in Istanbul
Destinations… I was saddened when I heard that Sarai Sierra, a 33-year-old American on her first vacation outside the USA, had been found dead in Istanbul, Turkey — and shocked when I read the subsequent reactions condemning journeys by solo women as naive, misguided or both. The circumstances surrounding the budding photographer’s death, including reports [...]
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Istanbul plans on building the world’s largest airport, but Dubai will beat it to the punch
TransportPlans to build the world’s largest airport, at a cost of $5.6 billion, have been unveiled by authorities in Turkey. The six-runway hub will be constructed on 77 million square metres of land near Istanbul, and will have a capacity of 150 million passengers a year – 60 million more than Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, [...]
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The James Bond Travel Index, sort of
DestinationsCourtesy this month’s Travel+Leisure magazine, coinciding with Skyfall, the new Bond movie set partly in Istanbul, among the hottest cities on the travel circuit this year:
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Turkish Airlines’ wants to use a new Istanbul airport as its international springboard
TransportU.S., Oct. 30 — When news broke that Turkish Airlines (THY) was set to connect some 30 African destinations by the end of this year, moving to 40 by the end of 2013, many had to check back to be certain of the accuracy of the statement at the time, bu…
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Istanbul lures Soho House and other high-profile hotels to set up in the city
DestinationsTurkey has been luring visitors to its azure seas and ancient sites for thousands of years, but only recently has it gained a reputation as a Hollywood hangout — not to mention a filming location. Until the late ’90s, the most well-known movie set in Istanbul was 1978′s Midnight Express, a cautionary tale about its [...]
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Turkey: Is alcohol apartheid coming to Istanbul?
DestinationsThe Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which concludes August 18, can be a time of heightened friction in Istanbul, when the beliefs of the pious clash with the lifestyle preferences of secular-minded Turks. This year, Ramadan has been marked by a secularist outcry over recent efforts to restrict the consumption of alcohol. Tension erupted over [...]
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Turkey to push bid for Olympics 2020 in Istanbul during London games
DestinationsTurkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan will travel to London for the Olympics starting next week to push for Istanbul’s bid to host the 2020 Games, bid officials said on Saturday. Istanbul is bidding alongside Madrid and Tokyo for the 2020 summer Games with a decision to be taken by the International Olympic Committee in September [...]
