The number of passengers using Istanbul’s two airports in the first five months of this year reached nearly 50 million, surging approximately 5% on a yearly basis, according to a report on Thursday.
The figure increased by over 2.5 million, compared to the same period last year, a report by Anadolu Agency (AA), citing the General Directorate of State Airports Authority (DHMI), said.
In this period, nearly 31.9 million passengers used Istanbul Airport, the report said. This surged from approximately 31.2 million in the January-May period last year.
According to the data, some 25.5 million passengers were registered on international flights and close to 6.4 million on domestic ones at the airport in the first five months of the year. Last year, there was a slightly higher figure considering domestic flights with 6.65 million, while around 24.55 million people traveled on international flights.
Like this, passenger numbers increased by 2% overall, with a 4% decrease in domestic flights and a 4% increase in international flights, the data revealed.
During January-May of this year, around 18.05 million passengers used Sabiha Gökçen Airport, with 7.75 million traveling domestically and nearly 10.3 million on international routes, respectively.
In the same period last year, 7.65 million domestic and 8.57 million international passengers used this airport. Therefore, passenger numbers at Sabiha Gökçen rose by 1% for domestic and 20% for international flights this year – an increase of 1.72 million.
From the two airports in Istanbul, a total of 49.95 million individuals traveled in the first five months of the year, with 14.14 million on domestic flights and 35.81 million outside of the country, respectively.
In comparison, the total number of passengers flying from Istanbul in January-May last year was 47.45 million. This year’s figure shows an increase of around 2.5 million in passengers, which is more than 5% growth compared to the same period last year.
Reflecting the rise in passenger numbers, the number of flights from Istanbul airports also increased.
At Istanbul Airport, 46,257 domestic and 166,721 international flights were operated in the first five months of this year, totaling 212,978 flights.
Last year, 207,854 flights were conducted at Istanbul Airport during the same period, showing an increase of 5,124 flights this year.
At Sabiha Gökçen Airport, there were 43,868 domestic and 61,410 international flights, totaling 105,278 flights between January and May this year.
In the same period in 2024, 96,963 flights were operated at this airport, representing an increase of 8,315 flights on an annual basis.
At Atatürk Airport, 6,032 domestic and 4,853 international flights were conducted during this period, totaling 10,885 flights. Last year, the airport recorded a total of 10,776 flights in the same period.
In total, 329,141 flights were operated from Istanbul’s airports in January-May of this year, compared to 315,593 flights in the same period last year.
Thus, flight numbers increased by 13,548, or approximately 5%, in the first five months of this year compared to last year.
