The airport was originally named Yeşilköy Airport. During the 1980s, it was renamed Istanbul Atatürk International Airport in honor of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey. It served more than 60 million passengers in 2015, making it the 11th busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic and the 10th busiest in the world in terms of international passenger traffic. It was Europe's 3rd busiest airport just after London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle and ahead of Frankfurt Airport in 2015.
On 28 June 2016, explosions and shootings were reported at the airport. 41 deaths and 230 injuries were reported.
Terminal 1 is the older and smaller of the two terminals and exclusively handles domestic flights within Turkey. Until the opening of Terminal 2, it used to be the airport's international terminal. Terminal 1 features its own check-in and airside facilities on the upper floor that lead to twelve departure gates (101-112) which are equipped with jet bridges. On the ground level there are five baggage reclaim belts as well as a curbside independent from Terminal 2.
Terminal 2
Terminal 2 as been inaugurated in 2000 and is used for all international flights. It features a large main hall containing eight check-in isles and a wide range of airside facilities such as shops and restaurants. The departures area consists of 27 gates (201-226) which are all equipped with jetbridges as well as several bus-boarding stands. The arrivals floor below is equipped with 11 baggage reclaim belts. Terminal 2 is able to handle widebody aircraft such as Turkish Airlines' Boeing 777-300ERs.
There is also an additional terminal for general aviation to the northwest of the main areas as well as a dedicated cargo terminal including sections for radioactive and refrigerated freight.
The airport terminals have been operated by TAV Airports since January 2000. TAV has already invested US$600 million since 1998. In 2005 TAV won the concession agreement to operate Atatürk for 15.5 years at an amount of $4 billion. TAV started its construction at the airport for new boarding gates at international terminal as well as building a new air traffic control tower. Unused facility buildings are demolished and three new boarding bridges are being built. When the new tower is completed, the old one will be demolished. When the international terminal is expanded, some of the jetways will be left to the domestics terminal which are on the west of the international terminal, connected to it.
Accidents
On 30 January 1975, Turkish Airlines Flight 345, crashed into the Sea of Marmara during its final approach to the airport. All 42 passengers and crew on board were killed.
On 25 April 2015, Turkish Airlines Flight 1878, operated by A320-200, TC-JPE was severely damaged in a landing accident. The aircraft aborted the first hard landing, which inflicted engine and gear damage. On the 2nd attempt at landing, the right gear collapsed and the aircraft rolled off the runway spinning 180 degrees. All on board evacuated without injury.
Terrorist attacks
On 28 June 2016, three terrorists killed 41 civilians by gunfire and subsequent suicide bombings.
Trivia
The Turkish Chamber of Civil Engineers lists Atatürk International Airport as one of the fifty civil engineering feats in Turkey, a list of remarkable engineering projects completed in the first 50 years of the chamber's existence.
In the 2013 Air Transport News awards ceremony, İstanbul Atatürk Airport was named Airport of the Year. Also, the airport has been named Europe's Best Airport in the 40-50 million passenger per year category at the 2013 Skytrax World Airport Awards.
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