Around 74.21 million air passengers traveled through airports in Turkey between January and May this year, according to the national air travel authority.

The number of domestic passengers totaled nearly 40.4 million, while international passengers reached 33.7 million in the first five months, according to the General Directorate of State Airports Authority (DHMİ).

The DHMİ reported that Turkish airports served 752,755 planes in the said period, including overflights.

On the other hand, cargo traffic in the first five months reached around 1.28 million tons.

The new mega Istanbul Airport, whose first phase officially opened last fall and which took over air traffic from the former main Ataturk Airport on April 6, welcomed almost 10 million passengers, 9.96 million to be precise, including over 2.5 million domestic and over 7.45 million international passengers in the first five months. The new air hub served 65,666 planes in the January-May period.

The first phase of Istanbul Airport, with an annual capacity of 90 million passengers, opened last October.

At its full annual capacity of 200 million passengers, with the completion of all four phases with six runways by 2028, Istanbul Airport is set to become a global aviation hub, with flights to over 350 destinations around the world.

After its completion, the airport will serve 250 aviation companies worldwide with a capacity for 2,000 planes to take off and land daily.

Meanwhile, the number of passengers traveling through Turkish airports, including direct transits, reached 210.2 million as of the end of last year, recording an increase of 8.6% compared to the previous year.