On June 15, President Erdogan's presidential aircraft — one of the largest government VIP jets in the world, painted in the red and white colors of the Turkish flag — made its first official landing at the renovated Etimesgut airfield. This is how Turkey opened Ankara Airport with the code ANK: the second major aviation hub of the capital after Esenboğa.
Why a second airport is needed
Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu provided the answer before the opening: "From Esenboğa to the city is 30 kilometers. Protocolary logistics on this route creates serious traffic problems". In other words — convoys of dozens of leaders would have blocked the city for days. Reconstruction was completed in eight months: the runway was completely rebuilt, a modern terminal was constructed, and two additional aprons with a total area of 15,000 square meters were added.
The airport will handle domestic and international flights, but its main function in the coming weeks is to serve as a logistics hub for the NATO summit on July 7-8 at the presidential complex in Beştepe.
Trump as a catalyst
The fact that the summit would take place in Ankara became clear even before confirming the American president's participation. However, the intensity of preparations sharply increased after Erdogan's telephone conversation with Trump in May: according to Middle East Eye, it was then that Trump personally announced his intention to attend. The White House has not yet published an official confirmation.
"The fact that President Trump will personally attend the summit is a valuable step for the unity of the alliance"
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
For Erdogan, Trump's presence is more than just a diplomatic bonus. Turkey has for years balanced between NATO and Moscow, blocked Sweden and Finland's accession, purchased Russian S-400 systems. Hosting the alliance summit at home — and with Trump in the leading role — is symbolic rehabilitation at the highest level.
What is on the agenda
- Defense spending: Following the The Hague summit, allies committed to bringing spending to 5% of GDP by 2035. The Ankara summit should turn these figures into concrete military capabilities.
- Ukraine: According to a NATO representative, support for Kyiv remains on the agenda — "Ukraine's security is directly related to ours".
- Broad participation: Zelensky is expected to attend, as well as representatives from the EU, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.
Ian Lesser, an analyst at the German Marshall Fund, noted that Turkey's choice as host "carries both political and symbolic significance" — especially given that the alliance member has demonstrated obvious ambivalence toward its course in recent years.
Security and the price of order
For the summit, Turkish authorities announced a 15-day ban on demonstrations in Ankara, will introduce "red zones" around airports and the presidential complex, and will deploy 40,000 police officers and gendarmes. International flights to Esenboğa will also be restricted.
The new ANK in this scheme is a pressure valve: it handles VIP traffic and relieves pressure on the main airport without halting the city.
If Trump does fly to Ankara and signs specific commitments regarding Ukraine under a joint communiqué — rather than merely a declaration on defense spending — this would become a real test of whether Turkey has converted its diplomatic resources into meaningful influence within the alliance.
