A new stage has been completed in the reconstruction programme at Hatay Airport following the earthquakes of February 6, 2023. Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said expansion work on an additional 43,036-square-metre apron, construction of the main entrance building, and renovation and repair work inside the terminal had been completed. The remaining parts of the project covering new buildings and apron expansion are targeted for completion by the end of 2026.
Two project packages are progressing together
According to the ministry’s update, the airport programme is divided into two main packages. The first covers post-earthquake repairs and reinforcement of the runway, taxiways, existing apron and buildings. The second focuses on new service buildings and additional apron areas. The year-end timetable is specifically a target for the package involving new buildings and apron expansion; it does not mean that every item across the airport programme has already been completed.
The new facilities package includes a 2,133-square-metre fire-service building, a 1,745-square-metre power plant and an 88-square-metre main entrance building. It also covers the 43,036-square-metre additional apron and a 10,800-square-metre public aviation apron. While the additional apron expansion and entrance building are complete, electrical and mechanical installation in the fire-service building and electrical infrastructure work at the power plant are continuing.
Runway and taxiway work completed
Uraloğlu said the airport’s 3,000-metre runway had been renewed after the earthquakes and that a new parallel taxiway and connecting taxiways had been completed. The parallel taxiway is 2,720 metres long, according to information released by the ministry. Rapid-exit and connecting taxiways, as well as renewal of the existing apron, are also listed among the completed elements. Reinforcement work on the terminal and staff accommodation buildings has finished.
Ground protection and water-management infrastructure form another important part of the programme. The ministry said an impermeable embankment wall and underground cutoff structures had been completed, along with the heating centre, regulator building, perimeter lighting and security road. Work is still under way on an apron barrier building, pumping pools and pumps, stormwater and wastewater systems, as well as further landside infrastructure.
Rebuilding after the earthquakes
A ministry site update published in December 2025 said the comprehensive construction programme began on November 21, 2023. That statement reported ground liquefaction and permanent settlement of up to about 1.5 metres in the airport area after the earthquakes. The response was therefore designed as more than a building repair effort, combining runway and taxiway renewal with ground reinforcement, water protection and perimeter security measures.
The same ministry update said a new apron with ten aircraft parking positions, the taxiway connecting the auxiliary runway to the apron, the regulator building and the heating centre had already been completed at that stage. It described the auxiliary runway as 2,720 metres long and 45 metres wide. The latest announcement shows that additional apron space and support facilities are now being added to that previously completed flight infrastructure.
An apron is the operational area where aircraft park and where passenger, cargo, maintenance and ground-handling activity takes place. The expansion therefore affects more than the airport’s total paved area: it also increases the space available for parking arrangements and different aviation operations. A separate public aviation apron identifies a dedicated area for activities outside routine passenger handling within the wider project.
The new facilities are intended to strengthen the airport’s fire-response, power and operational infrastructure. The additional apron areas are also designed to provide more space for aircraft parking and public aviation activity. The end-of-2026 date remains an official project target rather than a declaration that all work is finished. The latest update shows substantial progress around the apron and terminal while final technical installations and supporting infrastructure remain under construction.
