The airport was opened in 1926 and has since been repeatedly reconstructed. Radical reconstruction has taken place during the years of independence of Turkmenistan. The airport has been equipped with a modern air navigation system along with a platform for automated fueling. The runway has also been extended.
New terminal
In 2013 construction started on a new airport complex. The ceremony of laying the first stone on 14 February 2013 was attended by the President of UkraineViktor Yanukovych and President of TurkmenistanGurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. The final construction was carried out by the individual enterprise Gundogdy, a member of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan. The building of the passenger terminal occupies 37 thousand square meters. On 26 February 2018, the opening ceremony of the new airport took place, in which President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov attended. The airport is built on a new location. The capacity of the airport complex is 500 passengers per hour. The runway 3800 meters long and 65 meters wide is equipped with modern light-signal and meteorological systems. The airport is capable of accepting any type of aircraft. The airport cargo terminal is designed to handle 200 thousand tons of cargo per year. A centralized gas station allows to serve several aircraft simultaneously. The uniqueness of the architectural embodiment of the airport passenger terminal, which has a huge star shape an area of more than 12 thousand square meters, is noted in the Guinness Book of Records.
Airlines and destinations
Airport facilities
There are information boards, an international and long-distance communication center, left-luggage offices, cafeterias, cafes, buffets, and shopping pavilions at the service of passengers. There is a CIP-hall, duty free shops, Internet cafes and other services. The airport has a medical center, a dining room, a hotel with 100 rooms, a covered parking lot.
Ground transportation
The airport is located 13 kilometers from the city Turkmenabat in close proximity to the Ashgabat-Turkmenabat highway and the Ashgabat-Kerki railway.