Türkiye broke its record in air travel as more than 247 million passengers flew throughout 2025, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said Wednesday.
Including direct transit passengers, a total of 247.16 million people traveled by air last year, Uraloğlu said in a written statement assessing data from the State Airports Authority (DHMI).
"Thus, we have broken the all-time record for the number of passengers traveling by air in the history of the Republic," the minister noted.
According to the data, total aircraft movements, including overflights, reached 2.51 million in 2025, up 9.3% from the previous year. Passenger traffic rose 7.1% year-over-year.
In December alone, total aircraft traffic climbed 11.7% from a year earlier to 189,376 flights, while passenger numbers increased 12.6% to 17.53 million, including transit travelers, Uraloğlu said.
Cargo and freight traffic in December reached 412,007 tons, while full-year cargo volumes totaled 5.15 million tons, DHMI data showed.
At Istanbul Airport, passenger traffic in December rose 11% year-over-year to 6.93 million, with annual passenger numbers reaching a record 84.46 million, up 5% from 2024.
Total aircraft movements at the airport increased 6% over the year to 549,319 flights.
At Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, passenger traffic in December jumped 18% from a year earlier to 4.2 million, while full-year count rose 17% to 48.42 million.
Aircraft movements at the airport totaled 274,620.
Türkiye's main tourism destinations also recorded strong passenger volumes in 2025.
Uraloğlu said the number of passengers served at airports in tourism centers with high international traffic reached a total of nearly 62.88 million. Total aircraft traffic was recorded as 424,870.
Antalya Airport handled 39.16 million passengers, Izmir Adnan Menderes served 12.66 million, Dalaman welcomed 5.64 million, Milas-Bodrum handled 4.41 million and Gazipaşa-Alanya served just over 1 million passengers.
