Airports serve nearly 130 mln passengers in January-July

ISTANBUL

The number of passengers going through Türkiye’s airports increased by 9.9 percent in the first seven months of 2024 to reach 129.6 million.

The international passenger tally rose by 11 percent annually in January-July to more than 70 million, according to data from the General Directorate of State Airports Authority (DHMİ).

Domestic passenger traffic at the airports grew at a milder pace of 8.4 percent to 55.5 million.

Istanbul Airport served a total of 45.7 million passengers, up 6 percent from January-July last year, with international travelers rising 9 percent annually to 35.8 million. The mega airport, however, saw a 4 percent decline in domestic passengers to 9.9 million.

Total passenger traffic at Sabiha Gökçen, on the Asian side of Istanbul, grew 16 percent to 23.7 million. International and domestic passengers rose 14 percent and 18 to 12.3 million and 11.3 million, respectively.

Airports in major holiday resorts served 32.6 million travelers in the first seven months of 2024, including 10.5 million domestic and 22 million international passengers.

For instance, international passenger traffic in the Mediterranean province of Antalya surged 10 percent year-on-year to 16.4 million.

In July alone, domestic passenger traffic rose 0.6 percent from a year ago to 9.4 million, while international passengers increased 3.9 percent to 15.5 million.

In the first seven months of the year, commercial plane traffic was up 4.2 percent to 208,757 in domestic flights, and rose 8.8 percent to 462,138 in international flights, showed DHMİ data.