Airports in Türkiye's metropolis saw a 13% increase in the number of passengers they served from January through March of the year, according to official data.
The passenger count at Istanbul Airport and Sabiha Gökçen Airport reached 27.1 million, compared to around 23.9 million in the first quarter of 2022, according to data compiled by the General Directorate of State Airports Authority (DHMI).
The increase also had a positive impact on the balance sheets of airline companies, and with the start of the tourism season, the trend is expected to continue in the coming months.
Istanbul Airport, located on the European side of the city, hosted 17.6 million passengers in the first three months of this year, 3.5 million of whom traveled on domestic routes and 14.1 million on international flights.
The figure marked a 9% increase from 16.2 million in January-March 2022.
Türkiye's biggest and one of the largest civil aviation hubs in the world, Istanbul Airport, was officially opened in late October 2018 before becoming fully operational in April 2019.
The gleaming glass-and-steel structure along the Black Sea coast has managed to turn into one of the most important transit centers in aviation ever since.
The hub can handle 90 million passengers a year in the current phase. The figure is nothing compared to its potential capacity to serve 200 million after completing all phases.
All four phases of the airport's construction and expansion, including six runways, are expected to be completed by 2028.
The airport served around 76 million passengers in 2023, up from around 52.75 million in 2019. It looks to increase the count to 85 million throughout 2024.
Sabiha Gökçen Airport, located in the Asian part of the bi-continental city, handled 9.4 million passengers in January-March – 4.2 million on domestic and 5.1 million on international flights.
The count rose 22% from 7.7 million in the same period a year ago, the data showed.
The number of flights from both airports in Istanbul reached 183,000 in the first three months.
Istanbul Airport hosted 120,100 of these, 26,400 of which were domestic and 93,000 of which were international flights.
It compared to 113,800 flights, a 6% year-over-year increase, in the same period last year.
Sabiha Gokcen Airport recorded 56,700 flights in the first three months, 31,100 of which were international and 25,600 of which were domestic.
The number of flights was up 12% from last year's 50,600 flights.
