President Arif Alvi attended the inauguration of the Istanbul Grand International Airport on Monday while on a three-day visit to Turkey at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

President Erdogan, while inaugurating the airport ─ which his government says will eventually become the largest in the world ─ amidst great fanfare, said it would be "the pride of our country and an example to the world."

Along with President Alvi, other heads of state were also in attendance at the lavish opening ceremony.

At the event, Alvi said that Pakistan and Turkey share "deep brotherly and historical-based relations".

At the inauguration — which coincided with the 95th anniversary of modern Turkey's founding by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk — Erdogan revealed that the airport would be named "Istanbul".

"Istanbul is not only our biggest city but also the most valuable trademark of our country," he said.

The airport, one of a number of mega-projects built under Erdogan's rule, will be little used until next year after construction was marred by delays and a workers' strike over poor conditions.

Erdogan has championed the $12 billion project in his bid to make Istanbul a global travel hub linking Europe, Asia and Africa and turn flag carrier Turkish Airlines into an aviation giant.

But the airport will only offer flights to five destinations until an expanded opening on December 29, from when it is expected to handle up to 90 million passengers a year, rising to up to 200 million when all facilities are completed in 2028.

The first flight from the new facility will be to the capital Ankara on Wednesday.