Istanbul’s two main airports hosted more than 63.4 million passengers in the first half of 2026, a figure exceeding the population of 78 of Türkiye’s 81 provinces, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said Friday.
Istanbul Airport and Sabiha Gokcen International Airport served a combined 63.45 million passengers between January and June, Uraloglu said in a statement citing data from the State Airports Authority General Directorate (DHMI) on Friday.
Across Türkiye, airports handled 111.96 million passengers during the six-month period, including direct transit travelers, an increase of 2.6% from the same period last year.
Domestic passenger traffic totaled 50 million, while international traffic reached 61.9 million.
Aircraft movements at Turkish airports amounted to nearly 1.11 million, including overflights, during the first half. Cargo traffic totaled approximately 2.5 million metric tons, comprising 440,880 tons on domestic routes and 2.06 million tons on international routes.
In June alone, airports across Türkiye served 22.92 million passengers, including direct transit travelers. Domestic passenger traffic stood at 9.37 million, while international passenger traffic reached 13.54 million.
Aircraft traffic totaled 221,826 movements, including overflights, during the month, while cargo traffic reached 484,943 tons.
Istanbul Airport handles nearly 40M passengers
Istanbul Airport, Türkiye’s largest aviation hub, handled 39.92 million passengers in the January-June period. This included 8.24 million domestic and 31.69 million international passengers.
The airport recorded 262,271 aircraft movements during the period, with 58,271 on domestic routes and 204,000 on international routes.
Sabiha Gokcen International Airport, located on Istanbul’s Asian side, served 23.53 million passengers in the first half, including 10.85 million domestic and 12.67 million international travelers.
Aircraft traffic at Sabiha Gokcen totaled 135,535 movements, comprising 60,363 domestic and 75,172 international flights.
“At Istanbul Airport and Sabiha Gokcen Airport, we served 63.45 million in the first half of the year,” Uraloglu said.
“Our two airports in Istanbul hosted more passengers in the first half than the population of 78 provinces,” he added.
Aircraft traffic at Istanbul Ataturk Airport, which is primarily used for cargo, private and official flights, reached 12,865 movements during the six-month period.
Tourism hubs welcome 23.4M travelers
Airports serving Türkiye’s major tourism destinations handled 23.36 million passengers in the first half of the year, including 9.29 million domestic and 14.06 million international travelers.
Antalya Airport led the tourism hubs with 13.65 million passengers, followed by Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport with nearly 6 million.
Dalaman Airport served 1.85 million passengers, Milas-Bodrum Airport handled 1.52 million, and Gazipasa-Alanya Airport hosted 341,213 travelers during the period.
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