Passenger traffic at Turkish airports hits 62 million

ISTANBUL

Passenger traffic at Türkiye’s airports increased by 23.8 percent in the first four months of 2024 from a year ago to reach 61.8 million, according to the data from the State Airports Authority (DHMİ).

The international passenger tally grew 24 percent year-on-year to 32.9 million, while 28.9 million domestic passengers went through the airports in the January-April period, marking a 23.1 percent increase annually.

Total airplane traffic grew 11 percent to 491,535, the data shows.

Istanbul Airport saw a 17 percent increase in the overall passenger traffic in the same period to 24.3 million, with international travelers rising 18 percent from a year earlier to 19.2 million. The mega airport served another 5.1 million domestic passengers in the first four months of the year, a 14 percent year-on-year increase.

Total passenger traffic at Sabiha Gökçen, the second largest airport in Istanbul, grew 30 percent to 12.8 million. International and domestic passengers increased by 30 percent to 6.8 million and 5.95 million, respectively.

At Antalya Airport, one of the major holiday destinations in Türkiye on the Mediterranean coast, total passenger traffic increased by 35 percent to 5.8 million, with international passenger traffic up 39 percent annually to 3.8 million.

The number of international passengers at the Dalaman and Milas-Bodrum airports, which are located near several popular resorts, rose by 33 percent and 34 percent to 594,000 and 525,000, respectively.

The country’s airports welcomed nearly 18 million passengers in April alone, which translated into a robust 53.7 percent increase compared with the same months of 2023.

Airports served 9.7 million international and 8.2 domestic passengers last month.