Turkish airports serve nearly 50 million passengers in first quarter

ISTANBUL

Türkiye’s airports handled 49.31 million passengers in the first three months of 2026, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu has announced.

Of this total, 23.27 million were domestic travelers and 26.00 million were international, with direct transit passengers included.

Uraloğlu noted that passenger traffic rose 8.9 percent compared to the same period in 2025. In March alone, airports served 16.43 million passengers — 8.01 million on domestic routes and 8.41 million on international flights — marking an 11.3 percent year-on-year increase.

Aircraft movements in March reached 166,242, including 78,867 domestic and 57,849 international takeoffs and landings, plus overflights.

At Istanbul Airport, March traffic totaled 6.33 million passengers (1.33 million domestic, 5.01 million international). Between January and March, the airport handled a total of 19.11 million passengers.

At Sabiha Gökçen Airport in Istanbul, passenger traffic in March totaled 3.66 million; 1.73 million on domestic routes and 1.93 million on international flights.

During the first quarter, the airport served a total of 11.58 million passengers, comprising 5.03 million domestic and 6.55 million international travelers.

Tourism hub airports also saw strong activity, serving 6.50 million passengers in the first quarter — 4.01 million domestic and 2.49 million international.