Istanbul Airports
There are 2 international Istanbul airports passengers can use when travelling to the Turkish metropolis, Istanbul Airport and Sabiha Gökçen Airport. Istanbul airport is located on the European side, while Sabiha Airport is located on the Asian side of Istanbul. There was also a third airport, Ataturk Airport, which stopped serving commercial flights in 2019. All flights from Ataturk were then transferred to the newly built Istanbul Havalimani Airport.
Airports in Istanbul serve over 80 million passengers annually, with the numbers on the rise each year. They connect the city with over 300 world destinations. Of course, those include all the major European destinations. In this guide, we will summarize all the useful information about both airports near Istanbul.
Table of Contents
Airports in Istanbul
Istanbul Airport
IATA: IST
ICAO: LTFM
Passengers: 52 million
Istanbul Airport is the largest airport in the city, and also the main Istanbul airport. The airport is located on the European side of the city. There is still some work to be done at the site, but once it is fully finished, it will be able to accommodate 200 million passengers, making it the largest airport in the world. Locally known as Istanbul Havalimani airport, it is located about 40 kilometers from the city.
Sabiha Gökçen Airport
IATA: SAW
ICAO: LTFJ
Passengers: 34 million
Sabiha Gökçen Airport is the second largest airport in Istanbul, located about 40 kilometers southeast of the city, on the Asian side of Istanbul. Despite that, the airport has numerous scheduled flights from both European and Asian cities. Getting to the city can be done by several transportation means.
Airlines
Below we have listed the most important airlines which fly into both Istanbul airports. Istanbul Airport currently services more than 50 airlines with scheduled flights, while Sabiha Gökçen has about 20 of them, majority of which are budget airlines.
Istanbul Airport airlines
- Air France
- British Airways
- Emirates
- KLM
- Nordwind Airlines
- Pegasus Airlines
- Qatar Airways
- Singapore Airlines
- Turkish Airlines
Sabiha Gökçen airlines
- AnadoluJet
- Emirates
- Flydubai
- Pegasus Airlines
- Pobeda
- Qatar Airways
How to get from Istanbul airports to Istanbul
There are several ways of getting to both Istanbul airports to the city center. You can choose between shuttle buses, metro, taxis or even combining these with ferries (from Sabiha airport). Since Istanbul is pretty large, and you can arrive at different places in the city, we recommend reading more about getting to the city in the guides we’ve linked above.
| Istanbul Airport | Sabiha Gökçen Airport | |
| Airport Shuttle | ✓ | ✓ |
| Public Bus | ✓ | ✓ |
| Metro | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ferry | ✗ | ✓ |
| Taxi | ✓ | ✓ |
| Uber | ✓ | ✓ |
NOTE:
- From Sabiha airport, ferries have to be combined with either bus or train
- For public transportation, you can buy Istanbulkart pass, on which you have to load money to use
Which Istanbul airport is the best?
Choosing the best of the two airports in Istanbul is of course subjective, as it all depends on your travel preferences, such as accommodation location or purpose of visiting Istanbul.
When travelling to Istanbul
In terms of price of getting from each airport to the city, there shouldn’t be much difference. The price of transportation is pretty much the same from both airports. Of course, this depends on the location of your destination in the city. Istanbul is pretty large, so if you’re heading to the western districts like Bakirkoy or Basaksehir, then Istanbul airport would be optimal. On the other hand, if you’re going to the eastern (Asian) districts such as Kartal, Maltepe or Sancaktepe, then Sabiha Gökçen is much closer.
Travel time to Istanbul districts can vary a lot, especially if you’re crossing the Bosporus strait and heading from European side to the Asian (and vice versa). There are several bus stations in the city, the main station Esenler Otogarı is located in the European part of the city. As for the train stations, there are 2 major ones which serve the city, Haydarpaşa on the Asian side and Marmaray Sirkeci İstasyonu on the European side. All in all, Istanbul city is well-connected with its airports, so you shouldn’t have to worry about finding the ways to reach the city.
Basically, it all depends on the flights to Istanbul, and whether your departure city has direct flights to the city.
When travelling to locations near Istanbul
If you plan to visit destinations on the European side of Turkey, it’s probably best to fly into Istanbul Airport, as it should save you some time and money. Destinations such as Büyükçekmece, Esenyurt and Arnavutköy are closer to the IST airport. On the other hand, if you plan more of exploring the Asian side of the city and nearby locations, SAW airport is the better choice. Suburban areas around Istanbul like Sultanbeyli and Gebze are closer to the SAW airport.
For anyone planning their trip from one of Istanbul airports to other destinations in Turkey, you can find transportation by using the search form on the Traveling.com homepage
When travelling to Istanbul on a budget
If you’re travelling to Istanbul on a budget, landing at the airports which have frequent flights by low-cost airlines may save you some money. In this case, that would be Sabiha Gökçen, as it has more budget airlines flying into the city. However, that is not to say that Havalimani airport doesn’t have low-cost airlines flying into the airport. Since the price for the transportation to the city is similar from each airport, the best way to save money is by choosing the budget airline when flying to Istanbul.
Istanbul Airports Map
Istanbul Airports FAQs
Yes, there are hotels near both airports. Istanbul airport has hotels right at the airport, so you can find accommodation easily. Sabiha Gokcen airport has 2 hotels near the airport, reachable in a few minutes.
Yes, there is free WiFi at both airports. However, at Istanbul airport the service is free for only one hour, while at Sabiha Gokcen that time is 4 hours.
Yes, there are money exchange offices at both airports. As for the luggage storage, it is also available at both Istanbul and Sabiha Gokcen airport. The price of the baggage deposit depends on its size.
Like in many European airports, it’s recommended to arrive at least 2 hours before flight departure for domestic flights, and at least 3 hours before for international flights. Take into account from which side of the Istanbul you’re arriving.
This depends on the airport you are flying from and how much time you plan on spending in the city. Istanbul is served by 2 airports and both of them are not equally distant from the city, so we recommend avoiding rush hours, so you don’t miss your flight.
