Istanbul Airport serves over 205 mln passengers: Minister

ISTANBUL

More than 205 million passengers have traveled through Istanbul Airport since its opening on Oct. 29, 2018, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Adil Karaismailoğlu has revealed.

Highlighting the airport as one of the visionary projects, Karaismailoğlu remarked in a written statement, that it has made a name for itself in the history of aviation in Türkiye and the world, owing to its numerous outstanding features.

According to the minister, the airport facilitated 38,888 flights in January, 35,561 in February, 39,396 in March, 40,734 in April and 44,031 in May.

Over the period of January to May, nearly 200,000 flights were conducted at the airport, comprising 147,000 international flights and 51,000 domestic flights, while the airport received a staggering 28.8 million passengers during this period, with 22.2 million on international flights and 6.6 million on domestic flights.

Since its inauguration, a total of 205.3 million passengers traveled through Istanbul Airport, Karaismailoğlu announced.

The minister also emphasized that the airport not only boasts record-breaking numbers but also stands out for its exceptional service. Baggage claim times, which typically take hours in Europe, have been reduced to minutes at Istanbul Airport, while the check-in process requires just one minute, he said.

“Türkiye has taken the lead in aviation within Europe,” he said. “We have worked tirelessly to reach this point, implementing our visionary projects one by one. We have increased the number of airports from 26 to 57.”

Karaismailoğlu concluded by affirming the government’s commitment to further advancing the sector and maintaining Türkiye’s position as a leader in European aviation.