Istanbul Airport (IST) Statistics

Published 23 Jul 2026Updated 8 Sept 2026

Published 23 Jul 2026 · Updated 8 Sept 2026

Since its opening in October 2018, Istanbul Airport (IST) has rapidly emerged as one of the world’s major aviation hubs. Located in Arnavutköy, Istanbul, the airport replaced Atatürk Airport in April 2019 and now serves as the home base of Turkish Airlines, with a network of over 330 destinations that iGA describes as unmatched by any other hub worldwide.

How many passengers use Istanbul Airport each year?

Istanbul Airport handled 84.46 million passengers in 2025.

  • The airport’s first operating year brought 95,205 passengers after opening in late 2018.
  • Traffic then rose to 51.9 million in 2019 before falling to 23.3 million in 2020 during the pandemic.
  • Recovery accelerated to 37.18 million in 2021, 64.49 million in 2022, 76.24 million in 2023, 79.99 million in 2024, and 84.44 million in 2025.
  • ACI EUROPE ranked Istanbul the second busiest airport in Europe in 2025, just behind London Heathrow.

Note: The airport opened on 29 October 2018, and the transfer from Atatürk Airport was completed on 7 April 2019, so 2019 is a transition year.

Vertical bar chart of annual passenger volume at Istanbul Airport by year, showing a sharp dip in 2020 followed by steady year-on-year recovery.
Annual passenger volume at Istanbul Airport.

How many passengers use Istanbul Airport for domestic vs international travel?

International passengers accounted for 66.73 million of Istanbul Airport’s 84.46 million passengers in 2025.

  • Domestic passengers totaled 17.73 million in 2025.
  • International traffic represented 79% of the annual total, while domestic traffic accounted for 21%.
  • The airport has become steadily more international in profile, with the international share rising from 71.5% in 2021 to 79% in 2025.

Note: Figures in this section refer to total passengers, meaning arrivals plus departures.

Grouped vertical bar chart comparing domestic and international passengers at Istanbul Airport by year, with international traffic consistently far higher.
Domestic versus international passengers at Istanbul Airport.

What is the total number of aircraft operations at Istanbul Airport?

Istanbul Airport handled 549,319 aircraft movements in 2025.

  • That was up 6% from 517,285 movements in 2024.
  • Aircraft movements rose from 280,109 in 2021 to 425,897 in 2022, 506,055 in 2023, 517,285 in 2024, and 549,319 in 2025.
  • The airport also remained Europe’s busiest by average daily flights in 2024, at 1,401 per day.

Note: Aircraft movements refer to total take-offs and landings.

Vertical bar chart of total annual aircraft movements at Istanbul Airport, rising each year.
Annual aircraft movements at Istanbul Airport.

How do domestic and international flights compare?

International flights accounted for 425,459 of Istanbul Airport’s 549,319 aircraft movements in 2025.

  • Domestic aircraft movements totaled 123,860 in 2025.
  • International flights represented 77.5% of the annual total, while domestic flights accounted for 22.5%.
  • The international share of aircraft movements rose from 74.3% in 2022 to 77.5% in 2025.
Grouped vertical bar chart comparing domestic and international aircraft movements at Istanbul Airport by year, with international flights the large majority.
Domestic versus international aircraft movements at Istanbul Airport.

Which airlines operate the most flights out of Istanbul Airport?

Published seat-capacity data shows Turkish Airlines dominating Istanbul Airport’s airline mix in 2023.

  • Istanbul Airport offered 94.8 million available seats in 2023.
  • Turkish Airlines accounted for 75.7 million seats, or almost 80% of total airport capacity.
  • Saudi Arabian Airlines ranked as the largest foreign carrier with 1.14 million seats.

Note: Available seats are used here as the published measure of airline presence at the airport.

Vertical bar chart of available seat capacity by carrier at Istanbul Airport in 2023, with Turkish Airlines far ahead of other carriers.
Available seats by airline at Istanbul Airport, 2023.

What are the busiest routes from Istanbul Airport?

Based on scheduled seat capacity in 2023, Tehran and Dubai were among Istanbul Airport’s largest international markets, while London Heathrow was its busiest European route outside Türkiye.

  • Tehran (IKA) offered 1.3 million available seats in 2023.
  • Moscow Vnukovo (VKO) followed with 1.2 million seats.
  • Dubai (DXB) recorded 994,000 seats, while London Heathrow (LHR) offered just over 786,000 seats.

Note: These figures reflect scheduled available seat capacity, not passenger totals.

Vertical bar chart ranking the busiest international routes from Istanbul Airport by scheduled available seats in 2023.
Busiest international routes from Istanbul Airport by available seats, 2023.

How much cargo moves through Istanbul Airport annually?

Istanbul Airport handled 1.97 million tons of freight in 2025, remaining one of Europe’s largest air cargo airports.

  • After ranking first in Europe in 2024, Istanbul slipped to second in 2025 behind Frankfurt.
  • Frankfurt handled 1.99 million tons in 2025, while Istanbul recorded 1.97 million tons and Paris Charles de Gaulle handled 1.92 million tons.
  • Freight traffic at Istanbul Airport declined by 0.6% in 2025 from the previous year.

Note: This section uses ACI EUROPE’s published freight-ranking metric.

Related Statistics

Sustainability Initiatives at Istanbul Airport

Istanbul Airport had reached Airport Carbon Accreditation Level 4 Transformation and aligned its carbon plan with a 2050 net-zero target.

  • The airport became the first in Türkiye to achieve ACA Level 4 Transformation.
  • Scope 1 and Scope 2 carbon emissions had been reduced by 21% since 2019.
  • The terminal building also holds LEED Gold certification.
  • iGA says a €212 million solar investment is intended to make the airport the first global hub to power its entire terminal via solar energy.

Note: The solar figure and terminal-power target are from iGA’s current connectivity and sustainability messaging.

How does Istanbul Airport rank globally?

Istanbul Airport remained one of the world’s leading hub airports in 2025, ranking second in Europe for passengers and operating one of the broadest global networks in commercial aviation.

  • Passenger traffic ranked second in Europe in 2025 at 84.44 million.
  • Freight traffic ranked second in Europe in 2025 at 1.97 million tons.
  • As of the week of 23 February-1 March 2026, the airport was again Europe’s busiest by daily flights at 1,303.
  • iGA says the airport now serves 330+ destinations, including 309 non-stop destinations, supported by 116 airline operators.

Note: The passenger and freight rankings are full-year 2025 results, while the daily-flight ranking is a current weekly operational snapshot.

References

  1. DHMİ — Airport Traffic Series (2014–2024) · dhmi.gov.tr
  2. DHMİ — Passenger, Operations, Cargo, and Europe Ranking Updates (2021–2026) · dhmi.gov.tr
  3. Istanbul Airport Hosts Nearly 1.5 Million Planes in 4.5 Years · iletisim.gov.tr
  4. European Passenger Traffic Finally Exceeds Pre-COVID Levels · aci-europe.org
  5. 2025 — All About Traffic Resilience as Europe’s Airports Welcomed an Additional 100 Million Passengers · aci-europe.org
  6. Annual Network Operations Report 2024 · eurocontrol.int
  7. Türkiye’s Thriving Aviation Market Shows No Signs of Abating · airserviceone.com
  8. iGA Istanbul Airport: The World’s Leading Hub for Global Connectivity · igairport.aero
  9. Istanbul Airport Terminal Becomes the World’s Largest LEED Gold-Certified Building · igairport.aero
  10. Istanbul Airport Becomes the First Airport in Turkey to Achieve Level 4 Transformation · airportcarbonaccreditation.org
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