Overall air passenger traffic between January and November hit 179.1 million, an increase of 10.5 percent compared to the same period last year, said the General Directorate of State Airports Authority (DHMİ).

The DHMİ recently announced aircraft, passenger and cargo statistics for November that indicate that airports in Turkey hosted 71,033 domestic flights and 38,173 international flights, 0.6 percent and 6.6 percent higher, respectively, than the previous November. Total aircraft traffic, including overflights, was 143,933, an increase of 5.4 percent.

In the same period, the number of domestic passengers increased by 13.3 percent to 9.2 million, while the number of international passengers was 5.2 million, an increase of 19.2 percent. Thus, including direct transit passengers, the number of passengers rose to 14.3 million, 15.3 percent more compared to last November.

In 2016, the number of passengers using Turkish airports was 174 million. During the January-November period of 2016, domestic airports served 162 million passengers, an increased of 7.5 percent this year.

In November, Turkish airports handled 65,800 tons of domestic freight (cargo, mail and baggage) and 187,184 tons of international freight, 10.8 percent and 13.6 percent more, respectively, than in November 2016. The total weight crossed 252,983 tons, an increase of 12.9 percent.

In the first 11 months of this year, air traffic reached 839,858 on domestic routes, up by 2.6 percent, and 550,337 on international routes, up by 3.7 percent, totaling 1.4 million - an increase of 3 percent compared to the same period the previous year.Overflight traffic, on the other hand, rose by 9.4 percent to 378,630. Thus, total aircraft traffic including overflight surged by 4.3 percent to reach 1.8 million.

In the January-November period, domestic passenger traffic increased by 6 percent to hit 100.5 million, while international passenger traffic rose to 78.4 million, an increase of 17.1 percent. Thus, total air passenger traffic, including direct transit passengers, increased by 10.5 percent to 179.1 million, compared to the same period last year.

In the same period, freight traffic reached 828,037 tons on domestic flights, an increase of 3.3 percent, and 2.3 million tons on international lines, an increase of 12.8 percent, amounting to some 3.1 million tons, a total increase of 10.1 percent.

Passenger traffic at Istanbul Atatürk Airport was 1.6 million on domestic routes, an increase of 9 percent, and 3.6 million on international routes, an increase of 20 percent compared to the same month last year.

Air passenger traffic at Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen was 1.7 million on domestic lines, an increase of 8 percent, and 795,218 on international lines, an increase of 16 percent.

By the end of November, passenger traffic at Istanbul Atatürk Airport was 17.9 million on domestic flights, an increase of 1 percent, and 40.6 million on international flights, an increase of 6 percent compared to the same period the previous year.

In comparison, Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport's passenger traffic remained at 19.3 million on domestic lines, an increase of 3 percent, and 9.5 million on international lines, an increase of 8 percent compared to the same period last year.

In November, passenger traffic at Ankara Esenboğa Airport was 1.3 million on domestic flights, an increase of 32 percent, and 146,864 on international flights, an increase of 37 percent compared to the same month last year.

By the end of November, passenger traffic was 12.5 million on domestic flights, an increase of 18 percent, and 1.8 million on international flights, an increase of 34 percent compared to the same period the previous year.