News
42 confirmed dead and hundreds wounded in Istanbul airport bombing
July 1st 2016
There appears to be no end in sight to terrorist attacks on the air transport sector. Following the deadly suicide bombings at Brussels Airport earlier this year, suspected Islamic State terrorists killed at least 42 people, and seriously injured up to 200 more, at Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport on Tuesday. Read More »
Turkish prime minister, Binali Yildirim, said three attackers arrived at the airport in a taxi at approximately 9.30pm local time and blew themselves up after opening fire. The victims include dozens of foreigners.
There is a silver lining to the horror story, however. According to the Turkish government, none of the suicide bombers managed to get past security checks at the terminal's entrance, potentially reducing the death toll.
The airport was closed immediately following the attack. Roads surrounding the airport remained sealed off for regular traffic on Tuesday. Ataturk reopened on Wednesday morning 5am local time, with Turkish Airlines flight TK26 from Taipei the first to land.
The attack escalates an already tense period in Turkey, which has faced other terror attacks in recent months, and will likely to a significant drag on its flag carrier’s bottom line.
Ataturk was the eleventh busiest airport in 2015 with 61 million passengers, up 8% year-on-year.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) expressed outrage at the attack. "Once again, innocent travellers have been attacked in a cowardly and murderous act. Our thoughts are with the victims, and their families and friends," said IATA director-general, Tony Tyler.
"The safety and security of passengers are our top priorities. This tragedy in Istanbul and the one in Brussels earlier this year show that there is a growing challenge for governments to keep people safe in the 'landside' parts of the airport. Moving people 'airside' more quickly can help to mitigate risk. The industry has a number of initiatives in place to achieve that aim and we are working with governments and airports to implement them," Tyler added.
