Air passenger traffic leaps 52 percent in 10 months

ISTANBUL

Turkey’s airports served a total of 107 million passengers in the first 10 months of 2021, translating into a robust 51.5 percent increase from the same period of last year, data from the State Airports Authority General Directorate (DHMİ) have shown.

More than 57 million domestic passengers went through the country’s airports in January-October, marking a nearly 48 percent increase on an annual basis. The international traveler tally, on the other hand, leaped some 79 percent year-on-year in the same period to reach 50 million people, reflecting both the base effect and the revival in tourism activity.

Istanbul’s mega airport, Turkish Airlines’ main hub, was the busiest as it welcomed a total of 29.4 million passengers in January-October.

According to data from DHMİ, Istanbul Airport saw a strong 54 percent increase in the number of international passengers to 28 million people, while another 8.6 million domestic passengers – a 32 percent rise from a year ago- used the airport in the first 10 months of 2021.

The European airport trade association announced last month that Istanbul Airport won the Best Airport Award for its leadership position among the continent’s hubs.

Istanbul Airport, launched in October 2018, has a capacity of 95 million passengers annually.

With all four of its phases completed as of 2028, it will boast a passenger capacity of some 200 million.

Airports Council International (CI) Europe praised the mega airport’s response to COVID-19 for the full use of the latest technology to offer the best health safety to its passengers, adding that Istanbul Airport was the first in the world to secure the ACI Airport Health Accreditation.

Sabiha Gökçen, the city’s second largest airport on the Asian side, served 20.4 million people, up 43 percent on an annual basis with domestic passenger traffic gaining 38 percent year-on-year to 13.6 million. The number of international travelers using the airport grew 54 percent to 6.8 million people.

In a sign that tourism activity gathered momentum, the airport in Antalya, a popular destination among both Turkish and foreign holidaymakers on the Mediterranean coast, recorded a staggering 125 percent increase in passenger traffic.

It served 16 million international travelers, a 159 percent rise on an annual basis, while a little more than 4 million domestic passengers used the airport in the first 10 months of 2021, marking a 48 percent increase.

Plane traffic, including overflights, surpassed 1.2 million in the first 10 months of this year, while air cargo traffic climbed over 2.8 million tons.

Turkish airports saw around 15.7 million passengers in October alone, the DHMİ also reported.

Almost 7.1 million passengers took domestic flights in the month, and nearly 8.6 million took international flights.

The country’s airports served 158,512 planes including overflights in October, including 76,458 on domestic routes and 58,953 on international routes.