Türkiye targets 259 mln air passengers this year

ANKARA  

The Transport and Infrastructure Ministry has revised its air passenger forecast to nearly 259 million this year — a 4.6 percent increase over its previous estimate of 249 million.

According to state-run Anadolu Agency, citing updated figures from the State Airports Authority (DHMİ), this marks a rise from last year’s total of over 247 million passengers, including direct transit travelers. This traffic is expected to reach approximately 272 million next year.

The number of international passengers, which exceeded 145 million last year, is projected to rise by 3.6 percent this year to more than 150 million. This figure is estimated to reach almost 157 million in 2027.

The largest increase is expected on domestic flights. The number of domestic passengers, which was 101.5 million in 2025, is expected to reach almost 108 million this year, representing a 6.1 percent increase. This figure is expected to be more than 114 million by 2027.

Aircraft traffic, including overflights, is projected to rise from 2,511,726 in 2025 to 2,529,008 this year. This volume is expected to reach nearly 2.7 million next year.

In this context, domestic air traffic is expected to exceed 1 million in 2026. Meanwhile, international air traffic is projected to be nearly 1 million.

The number of transit passengers, which stood at 583,314 last year, is estimated to decline to 511,586 this year and rise to 583,838 next year.

Cargo traffic at airports across Türkiye, which totaled 5,383,836 metric tons last year, is projected to reach 5,430,838 metric tons this year. This figure is expected to rise to 5,637,201 metric tons in 2027.