Airports serve 155 million passengers in January-August

ISTANBUL

Total passenger traffic at Türkiye’s airports increased by 8.3 percent in January-August from a year ago to 154.8 million, according to data from the General Directorate of State Airport Authorities (DHMİ).

International passengers grew 9.7 percent year-on-year to more than 90 million, domestic passengers rose 6.9 percent annually to 64.7 million.

Istanbul Airport saw a 5 percent increase in total passenger traffic in the first 8 months of 2024 compared to the same period of last year to 53.4 million with international travelers rising 9 percent to 41.75 million.

Domestic passenger traffic at the mega airport, however, declined 4 percent to 11.66 million.

Some 27.5 million passengers used Sabiha Gökçen, the second largest airport in Istanbul, in January-August, marking a 14 percent year-on-year increase.

International and domestic passengers were up 13 percent and 15 percent to 14.3 million and 13.2 million, respectively.

Nearly 26 million travelers went through the airport in Antalya, a major tourist destination on the Mediterranean coast, marking an 8 percent increase from the January-August period last year.

The international passenger tally was up 8 percent annually to 21.5 million, while domestic passenger traffic at the airport grew 10 percent to 4.47 million, according to DHMİ data.

In August alone, Turkish airports served 25.1 million passengers, a 1.9 percent increase from the same month of 2023.

Last month, 9.2 million passengers took domestic flights, while nearly 16 million traveled on international routes.

Turkish airports served 231,699 planes in August, which includes overflights, representing a 2 percent rise compared to the previous year.