Azernews.Az

By News Centre

Turkiye’s air passenger traffic continued to grow in the first seven months of 2026, with airports across the country serving nearly 138.8 million passengers, including direct transit passengers.

Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu assessed the air transport data for July 2026 released by the General Directorate of State Airports Authority (DHMİ).

According to Uraloğlu, the number of aircraft landing at and taking off from passenger and environmentally friendly airports in July reached 98,158 on domestic routes and 101,160 on international routes. Including overflights, total aircraft traffic reached 249,520.

The minister said domestic passenger traffic amounted to 10,478,151 in July, while international passenger traffic reached 16,311,398.

“Together with direct transit passengers, a total of 26,797,638 passengers were served at our airports in July,” Uraloğlu said.

During the January-July period, aircraft traffic at airports across Turkiye totaled 570,028 on domestic routes and 505,357 on international routes. Including overflights, total aircraft traffic reached 1,363,506.

Domestic passenger traffic amounted to 60,481,018 during the first seven months of the year, while international passenger traffic reached 78,215,195. Including direct transit passengers, Turkish airports served a total of 138,758,202 passengers during the period.

Uraloğlu noted that the number of passengers traveling by air during the seven-month period exceeded the combined population of 18 European Union member states.

Compared with the same period of 2025, total passenger traffic, including direct transit passengers, increased by 2.6% by the end of July 2026.

The minister also reported that airport cargo traffic reached 3,027,448 tons during the January-July period. Domestic cargo traffic accounted for 542,898 tons, while international cargo traffic stood at 2,484,550 tons.

Istanbul Airport, one of Turkiye’s major infrastructure projects, also recorded significant traffic in July. According to Uraloğlu, aircraft traffic at the airport totaled 50,748 in the month, comprising 12,190 domestic and 38,558 international flights.

Istanbul Airport served 8,146,411 passengers in July, including 1,816,429 domestic passengers and 6,329,982 international passengers.

During the January-July period, Istanbul Airport recorded 313,019 aircraft movements, consisting of 70,461 domestic and 242,558 international flights.

The airport served a total of 48,068,524 passengers during the first seven months of the year, including 10,051,727 domestic passengers and 38,016,797 international passengers.

Uraloğlu also provided data on Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport, where aircraft traffic reached 25,355 in July. Domestic flights accounted for 11,301 movements, while international flights totaled 14,054.

Passenger traffic at Sabiha Gökçen Airport reached 4,489,072 in July, including 2,081,886 domestic passengers and 2,407,186 international passengers.

Over the first seven months of 2026, Sabiha Gökçen Airport recorded 160,890 aircraft movements, consisting of 71,664 domestic and 89,226 international flights.

The airport served 28,014,566 passengers during the seven-month period, including 12,932,511 domestic passengers and 15,082,055 international passengers.

Uraloğlu added that aircraft traffic at Istanbul Atatürk Airport stood at 2,444 movements in July and totaled 15,309 during the January-July period.

Airports serving Turkiye’s major tourism destinations also recorded substantial passenger traffic during the first seven months of the year.

According to Uraloğlu, these airports served a total of 32,189,634 passengers during the January-July period, including 11,648,259 domestic passengers and 20,541,375 international passengers.

Aircraft traffic at the tourism-focused airports totaled 219,278 movements during the period, comprising 88,718 domestic and 130,560 international flights.

During the first seven months of 2026, Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport served 7,406,646 passengers, while Antalya Airport handled 19,209,979 passengers.

Muğla Dalaman Airport served 2,739,692 passengers during the same period, while Muğla Milas-Bodrum Airport handled a total of 2,348,806 passengers.

Gazipaşa-Alanya Airport recorded 484,511 passengers during the first seven months of the year.