Travel: Flights to Ankara

Ankara Esenbo?a International Airport (ESB) is located some 28 km northeast of the city. International flights are rather low in frequency and scope - apart from Turkish Airlines (THY), only Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and British Airways offer direct flights to their respective European hubs. For other carriers flying into Turkey, a flight into Istanbul is necessary, followed by an air transfer to Ankara by means of Turkish Airlines.

All of this should change with the opening of the brand-new airport, located adjacent to the old one, in October 2006. The new airport will feature many more gates, a more orderly parking system, and in general better traffic flow. Also currently under construction is an upgrade to the road connecting Ankara's airport to the ring road. While parts of this road are already open, several large sections are still under construction, necessitating lengthy detours. The connector road is set to open in its entirety in October 2006.

Airport buses are operated by Cebeci transportation (formerly HAVA? - many people still call it this) through the city center reaching Ulus (the historical center of the city, close to the museums and baths), and A?T? (where the intercity buses depart from to almost all the cities in Turkey). The price is around 5 Euros.