Istanbul Airport launches ‘Now is the Time for Kids to Fly’ initiative

Istanbul Airport (IST) has announced the launch of its new ‘Now is the Time for Kids to Fly’ service, which has been designed to implement the innovations that the airport offers in order to make travelling enjoyable for families with children.

Aiming to make the traveling experiences of families with children easier and more enjoyable, ​​İstanbul Grand Airport (iGA) has come up with various solutions for these families to travel more comfortably and happily through Istanbul Airport. These solutions are being brought together under the concept of being a ‘Children and Family Friendly Airport’.

Credit: Istanbul Airport

The ‘Children and Family Friendly Airport’ concept draws its inspiration from children’s multifaceted interests and the questions that they ask whilst exploring. Because children learn so many things for the first time, they are interested in everything that happens around them. iGA intends to enable children to experience the joy of exploring in the best way possible and uncovers this in the light of their favourite activities.

Acting with this insight, İGA has built a nature-concept playground – to ensure that children enjoy themselves to repletion, explore the green and build a bond with nature – and a sea-concept playground – where various species are highlighted in order to ensure that children explore the sea, remember the time that they have met the sea and seen fish for the first time.

Credit: Istanbul Airport

iGA built a glacier-themed playground consisting of snow and ice so that children can explore the miracles of water. When they are asked “What do you want to be in future?”, iGA built a sky-themed playground for them to be able to answer this question as “Pilot!” with excitement. The space theme park was also built so that they can explore the planets, go on an exciting journey on them and get to know space science closely.

The total size of the playground, which features five different concepts designed for children to have a pleasant time at the airport, covers an area of 700m².

Among the special services for children and their families travelling through Istanbul Airport are:

• An encounter the CiGA character in the areas exclusively designed for them as a part of the ‘Children and Family-Friendly Airport’ concept
• Car parking spots reserved specifically for them in the airport car park
• At the airport terminal entrance, children and their families can pass through the special doors designed exclusively for them in the form of a space shuttle
• Children and their parents are farewelled to the door of their planes by a train designed in the shape of an airplane
• Free buggy service for children between the ages of newborn and two, and special welcoming and farewell assistance for the newborn to six age group.

The ‘iGA PASS’ membership programme, which maximizes the travel experience, also offers services for families with children. While parents wait for their flights in the iGA Lounge, children can play games and watch cartoons. Parents can monitor their children in the play room on the screens in the food court. The comfort of families with children is emphasised in the iGA Lounge, where every detail is considered, such as children’s restroom, infant care room and breastfeeding room.