Istanbul sees 27.1M passengers flying from 2 airports in Q1 of 2024

By Kenan Irtak

ISTANBUL (AA) – Airports in Istanbul saw 27.1 million passengers travelling in the first quarter of the year, within the January-March period.

The rise in air traffic and passenger density in 2023 continued in the first quarter of this year after a significant decrease during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data from the General Directorate of State Airports Authority (DHMI) compiled by Anadolu.

The increase in the number of passengers had a positive impact on the balance sheets of airline companies, and with the arrival of the tourism season, the increase is expected to continue in the coming months.

Istanbul Airport, located in the European side of the city, hosted a total of 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 routes.

The airport hosted 16.2 million passengers in the same period last year, which indicates an increase of 1.4 million passengers.

- Number of passengers flying through ⁠Sabiha Gokcen Airport hike 22%

Sabiha Gokcen Airport, located in the Asian part of the bi-continental city, saw a total of 9.4 million passengers in the January-March period -- 4.2 million on domestic flights and 5.1 million on international flights.

In the two airports of Istanbul, a total of 27.1 million passengers were hosted, up 13% from last year, which was 23.9 million.

- Number of flights continue to rise

The number of flights from both airports in Istanbul rose as well as the number of passengers, as the January-March period saw Istanbul Airport host a total of 120,100 flights, 26,400 of which were domestic and 93,000 of which were international flights.

The number of total flights on Istanbul Airport was at 113,800 in the same period last year, revealing an increase of 6,300 flights this year.

- Flights on Sabiha Gokcen Airport up 12% ⁠

Sabiha Gokcen Airport recorded a total of 56,700 flights this year in the first three months, 31,100 of which were international, and 25,600 of which were domestic.

The number of flights were up 12% from last year’s 50,600 flights.

Istanbul airports clocked in 183,000 flights in total in the first three months of 2024.

* Writing by Emir Yildirim