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Turkey's first airport built entirely on reclaimed sea land.
Opened
2023
Location
Rize, Turkey
Rize–Artvin Airport is a regional airport serving the Rize and Artvin provinces in northeastern Turkey, situated on the Black Sea coast. It is notable for being constructed almost entirely on an artificial island reclaimed from the Black Sea, a major engineering feat completed in the early 2020s.
The airport opened in 2023 and significantly improved connectivity for the tea-producing Rize region and the mountainous Artvin province, which previously lacked convenient air access. It serves domestic routes within Turkey, with Turkish Airlines among the carriers offering scheduled services.
The facility is modern, designed to handle the growing tourism and business traffic in the eastern Black Sea region, and represents a significant infrastructure investment by the Turkish government to develop underserved areas of the country.
Terminals
The airport features a single modern terminal building designed to accommodate both arriving and departing passengers on domestic routes.
Getting to & from
Ground transport between the airport and city centers of Rize and Artvin is available via road, including shuttle and taxi services.
Airlines here
Turkish Airlines operates scheduled domestic services at Rize–Artvin Airport, connecting the region to Istanbul and other major Turkish cities.
Notable facts
- ›Built largely on land reclaimed from the Black Sea, making it one of Turkey's most distinctive airport construction projects.
- ›Serves both Rize and Artvin provinces, two separate administrative regions with no prior commercial airport.
- ›Located in one of Turkey's major tea-growing regions.
- ›The reclamation project required filling a significant area of the Black Sea to create the airport platform.
- ›Opened in 2023 as part of Turkey's broader infrastructure expansion in its northeastern provinces.
This profile is provided for general information only. Details may be inaccurate or outdated — always verify with the airport's official website before acting on them.
