Türkiye’s airports handle nearly 139 million passengers in seven months - Get updated on what's happening in tourism!

Türkiye’s aviation sector handled nearly 139 million passengers in the first seven months of 2026, reflecting the scale of both domestic air travel and international demand for the country’s major cities and tourism destinations.

According to Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu, airports across Türkiye served 138,758,202 passengers between January and July. In July alone, passenger traffic reached almost 26.8 million, including direct transit passengers, as the peak summer travel season pushed international volumes particularly high.

International traffic dominates July

Domestic airports handled 10.48 million passengers on domestic services in July, while international traffic reached 16.31 million.

Aircraft movements during the month totalled 249,520 when overflights are included. Of these, 98,158 movements were recorded on domestic routes and 101,160 on international services.

Across the first seven months, airports registered 570,028 domestic and 505,357 international aircraft movements. Including overflights, the total reached 1.36 million.

Air freight also remained substantial. Airports handled 527,744 tonnes of cargo in July, comprising 102,018 tonnes on domestic services and 425,726 tonnes internationally. Between January and July, cargo volumes reached 3.03 million tonnes, of which almost 2.49 million tonnes were international.

Istanbul Airport passes 48 million passengers

Istanbul Airport remained the country’s largest aviation hub. It handled 8.15 million passengers in July alone, including 1.82 million domestic and 6.33 million international travellers.

The airport recorded 50,748 aircraft movements during the month, with international flights accounting for 38,558 of the total.

Between January and July, Istanbul Airport served 48.07 million passengers. International traffic contributed 38.02 million passengers, compared with 10.05 million on domestic routes. Aircraft movements during the seven-month period reached 313,019.

Sabiha Gokcen reaches 28 million passengers

Istanbul’s second major airport, Sabiha Gokcen, handled 4.49 million passengers in July. Domestic traffic accounted for 2.08 million passengers and international services for 2.41 million.

During the first seven months of 2026, passenger numbers reached 28.01 million, including 12.93 million domestic and 15.08 million international travellers. The airport registered 160,890 aircraft movements during the period.

Istanbul Ataturk Airport, which no longer handles regular commercial passenger services, recorded 2,444 aircraft movements in July and 15,309 between January and July.

Tourism airports handle 32.2 million passengers

Airports serving Türkiye’s principal holiday regions handled 32.19 million passengers during the first seven months of the year. International travellers accounted for 20.54 million of the total, while domestic traffic reached 11.65 million.

Together, these airports recorded 219,278 aircraft movements, including 130,560 international and 88,718 domestic flights.

Antalya Airport was by far the busiest tourism gateway, handling 19.21 million passengers between January and July. Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport followed with 7.41 million.

Mugla Dalaman Airport recorded 2.74 million passengers, while Mugla Milas-Bodrum Airport handled 2.35 million. Gazipasa-Alanya Airport, which provides direct access to the eastern Antalya tourism region, registered 484,511 passengers.

The figures underline the importance of aviation to Türkiye’s tourism industry. During the summer months in particular, international passenger volumes at airports serving the Mediterranean and Aegean resorts form a substantial part of the country’s overall air traffic.

Image Credit: © AA