Türkiye Records 108 Million Air Travelers in First Half of 2025

Turkey

Türkiye’s air travel sector saw significant growth in the first six months of 2025, with a total of 108.8 million passengers recorded between January and June, according to the country’s transport minister, Abdulkadir Uraloglu.

Of this total, 46.6 million passengers traveled on domestic flights, while 62.2 million flew internationally. The overall figure includes both direct and transit passengers.

In June alone, 89,696 aircraft took off or landed on domestic routes and 91,608 on international ones, bringing the monthly total to 223,459 movements, including overflights.

Between January and June, total aircraft traffic reached 1.1 million. This includes 454,841 domestic takeoffs and landings, 410,226 international movements, and a rise of 5.7% in overall traffic compared to the same period in 2024.

Uraloglu emphasized that the number of air travelers in this six-month period exceeds the combined populations of multiple EU member states, including Austria, Belgium, Greece, and Portugal. He also noted that cargo volume across Turkish airports reached 2.3 million tons during the same timeframe.

Istanbul’s Airports Lead the Way

Istanbul Airport handled 39.1 million passengers in the first half of the year—8.1 million on domestic and 30.9 million on international flights. Sabiha Gökçen Airport saw a total of 22.1 million passengers, with 9.6 million flying domestically and 12.5 million internationally.

Strong Performance in Tourism Hubs

Airports serving Türkiye’s major tourist destinations—Izmir, Antalya, Mugla, and Alanya—collectively welcomed 23.9 million passengers. Of these, 8.5 million traveled on domestic flights and 15.4 million arrived via international routes, underscoring the continued strength of Türkiye’s tourism sector.