How Many Airports Are In Istanbul?

Due to the great reception of tourists worldwide, especially from Asian countries, Istanbul’s airports have faced a high volume of passengers. The only solution to this problem is to increase the number of airports and plan the flights carefully, which Istanbul city authorities have done well. This city has the most equipped airports in the world, and more than 20 million passengers travel to this city every year through these airports. If you are planning to travel to Istanbul and want to plan your trip, it is better to familiarize yourself with the airports of this city first so that you can book a hotel near the airport.

How many airports are in Istanbul?

In general, in response to the question “how many airports are in Istanbul?” we must say that currently, Istanbul has 3 international airports named Atatürk Airport, Istanbul New Airport, and Sabiha Gökçen Airport to manage the city’s flight traffic better. But the point that you should pay attention to is that with the opening of Turkey Istanbul Airport, Ataturk Airport was closed, and all the airport flights have been transferred to the new Istanbul Airport. To learn more about these airports and know the answers to questions such as “Which Istanbul airport is closest to the city?” Stay with us until the end of the article.

Istanbul Ataturk Airport | How many airports in Istanbul?

Ataturk Airport is the first airport we intend to introduce in the article “How many airports are in Istanbul?”. Istanbul Ataturk International Airport used to be the busiest airport in the city. Of course, before the construction of the new Istanbul airport, this airport was known as the largest and busiest airport in Istanbul. Ataturk Airport is the first airport in Turkey with a long history. This airport was built in 1912 and, at first, was more active in the military and war field. After that, in 1949, the passenger section of Atatürk Airport, 24 km from the center of Istanbul, started working. In April 2019, after more than 50 years of operation of Atatürk Airport, all flights from this airport were transferred to the new Istanbul Airport. This airport was dedicated only to cargo planes, commercial jets, general aviation, and aircraft maintenance, and commercial passenger flights were transferred to the new Istanbul airport.

Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport

Sabiha Gokcen Airport is the second most famous airport in Istanbul, located in the southernmost part of Istanbul. This airport is 45 kilometers away from the city center. Sabiha Gökçen Airport is located in the Asian part of Istanbul and is newer than Atatürk Airport. Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport was built due to the lack of empty capacity in domestic and international flights of Ataturk Airport. The Turkish government planned that this airport, which experienced good growth in 2010, will handle approximately 25 million passengers by 2023. Currently, this airport can handle this number of passengers. The youngest option among Istanbul airports (of course, before the opening of the new Istanbul airport), Sabiha Gokcen, in 2015, with 206 flights and 28 million passengers, won the title of the third busiest airport in the world after London and India.

Istanbul New Airport

Istanbul’s new airport is the largest and most luxurious among Istanbul’s airports, which, as a big gate, welcomes guests and travelers to this beautiful city. This airport and Sabiha Gokcen Airport are the busiest airports in Istanbul. Istanbul Airport, known as İstanbul Havalimanı in Turkish, is the newest airport established in Istanbul. Of course, it is good to know that this airport is still being developed and expanded and is expected to be fully operational in 2030. The new Istanbul airport is located in the Arnavutkoy area of Istanbul, and at the beginning of its construction, the purpose of creating this airport was to make it the largest airport in the world with a capacity of 200 million passengers. Since Istanbul Airlines suffers from air traffic at most times of the year, with the complete construction of this airport, it is expected that problems such as air and flight traffic of Istanbul lines will be completely resolved. Also, this airport is the closest airport to the taksim Square. As we mentioned, Istanbul’s new airport has a larger area than Istanbul’s airports, and this has made it have more facilities than other airports. Shopping in Istanbul airport, free internet, hotel, international and local restaurants, lobby, amusement park for children, etc. are some of the unique facilities of this airport.

Istanbul airport services

In addition to luxury facilities, Istanbul Airport also provides other amazing services to passengers. Among these services are the provision of 40,000 square meters of parking space and a conveyor belt of about 40,000 meters with a capacity of 30,000 bags per hour. Technologies such as artificial intelligence and special facilities for people with disabilities are also provided in this airport. Also, passengers who choose Istanbul Airport for their flights can benefit from this airport’s restaurants and coffee shops. All the terminals in the airport have numerous restaurants, coffee shops, and fast food and offer their services to passengers 24 hours a day. These restaurants and coffee shops are of higher quality than the restaurant facilities of other airports in Istanbul, and passengers can enjoy local Turkish cuisine, international cuisine, and Middle Eastern cuisine offered in these places.

At the end of the line

In this article, we investigated the answer to the question, “how many airports are in Istanbul?” We learned that Istanbul has 3 airports, but only 2 serve passengers. Finally, remember that Istanbul is one of the most beautiful cities in Turkey. Travel there by vehicle; you will see different beauties and attractions. According to what has been said, Istanbul’s new airport is a better choice if you travel through it because it is closer to the city center and has more capacity.