Turkey’s airports serve over 74 million passengers

ANKARA

Turkey’s airports served a total of 74.08 million passengers in January-May, data from the General Directorate of State Airports Authority (DHMİ) showed on June 5.  

The number of total air passengers declined by 5.3 percent in the first five months of the year from a year ago.

DMHİ also reported that domestic passengers fell by 13.7 percent to 40.4 million while international passengers increased by 7.1 percent on an annual basis to 34 million.

The new mega Istanbul Airport hosted a total of 9.96 million passengers. Some 2.5 million domestic passengers and 7.45 million international travelers used the airport.

Istanbul Airport, whose first phase officially opened last fall, took over air traffic from the former main Atatürk Airport on April 6.

With a full capacity of 200 million passengers annually after the completion of all four phases with six runways by 2028, Istanbul Airport is set to become a global aviation hub hosting more than 100 airlines and flights to over 300 destinations around the world.    

Sabiha Gökçen Airport in Istanbul saw a 2-percent increase in passenger traffic. In the first five months of the year, it served 8.5 million domestic passengers - a 6-percent decline on an annual basis, and 5.15 million international travelers – a 19-percent rise from a year ago.

Passenger traffic at Esenboğa Airport in the capital Ankara declined by 21 percent year-on-year to 5.79 million, data also showed. Domestic passengers declined by 23 percent to 5 million while international passengers dropped by 5 percent to 788,476.

Antalya Airport, used mostly by holidaymakers, saw a 13-percent increase in total passengers to 8.7 million.