Turkey: Air passenger traffic hits 120.4M in Jan-July

By Jeyhun Aliyev

ANKARA (AA) - The number of passengers passing through airports in Turkey went up by 14 percent year-on-year in the Jan.-July period, Turkey's top airport authority said on Tuesday.

The number of total passenger traffic hit 120.4 million during the first seven months of the year, according to the General Directorate of State Airports Authority.

Total aircraft traffic -- including overflights -- in Turkish airspace climbed by 8.3 percent, reaching over 1.15 million flights during the same period.

In the January-July period, the total amount of air cargo -- shipping, mail and luggages -- increased by 11.8 percent to 2.13 million tons.

In July, the number of passengers in Turkish airports taking domestic flights fell 0.7 percent to 10.75 million, compared to the same month last year, while the number of passengers taking international flights grew 13.7 percent to 11.91 million people.

Total aircraft traffic -- including overflights -- in Turkish airspace surged 4.7 percent, reaching 205,213 flights in July.

The total amount of air cargo in July increased by 5.2 percent year-on-year to 388,322 tons.

Most of the passenger increase occurred in Istanbul's Ataturk and Sabiha Gokcen airports.

Last month, passenger traffic at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport reached 4,588,308 -- an increase of 3 percent over on the same period last year.

Passenger traffic in Sabiha Gokcen Airport rose 6 percent in domestic lines reaching 2.15 million, as well as the total passenger traffic in international flights grew 14 percent year-on-year to 1.16 million people.

In the first half of 2018, more than 97.6 million people traveled through airports in Turkey.