Monthly traffic at Turkish airports surpasses the residence of Istanbul, as per the Transport Minister's statement.
Turkey's airports have been bustling with activity, setting new records in passenger traffic and aircraft movements. Notably, Turkish Airlines is on the brink of a deal with Air Europa, while Lufthansa and Air France have stepped back [1].
In the first seven months of 2025, Istanbul Airport emerged as the busiest, serving over 46.95 million passengers (9.95 million domestic and 37 million international) [2][3]. On July 27, the airport recorded a daily passenger traffic of 272,132, making it Europe’s busiest airport [2].
Antalya Airport, situated in a major tourism area, also broke its own single-day passenger record with 225,118 passengers on July 26, 2025 [1][2]. During this period, Antalya Airport specifically saw 203,348 international and 21,770 domestic passengers on that peak day [1].
Sabiha Gokcen Airport, Istanbul's second major airport, handled around 26.5 million passengers (11.7 million domestic and 14.8 million international) between January and July 2025 [2].
Other tourism-focused airports in Izmir, Mugla, and Alanya also contributed to the total 32.77 million passengers in that sector during this period [1].
Istanbul's Milas-Bodrum Airport served 2.30 million passengers, while Dalaman Airport handled 2.91 million passengers between January and July 2025 [1]. International travelers accounted for 78.3 million of the total passengers [1].
In July alone, Turkish airports managed 26.14 million passengers, marking a 4.9% year-over-year increase [1]. The country's airports collectively handled 2.83 million tons of cargo during the seven months [1].
The total number of aircraft movements at Sabiha Gokcen Airport was 152,694, with 226,990 flights recorded at the tourism-focused airports across Turkey [1]. The total number of air passengers in Turkey between January and July 2025 was 134.95 million, a 3.6% increase from the same period in 2024 [1].
Domestic passenger volume in the same timeframe totaled 56.6 million, while Antalya Airport served 20.18 million passengers between January and July 2025 [1]. Gazipasa-Alanya Airport served 543,976 passengers during the same period [1].
Istanbul Ataturk Airport registered 3,141 aircraft movements in July 2025, and 16,740 over the seven-month period [1]. Despite the growth, Istanbul Airport remains the busiest in Turkey.
[1] Source: [Turkish Airlines, General Directorate of State Airports Authority, and other aviation authorities] [2] Source: [Turkish Statistical Institute] [3] Source: [Airports Council International]
In this period, Istanbul's Milas-Bodrum Airport, though serving a significant number of passengers, still falls short of the busiest spot in Turkey, as it handled only 2.30 million passengers [1]. With a booming aviation industry, Turkey's second major airport, Sabiha Gokcen, reported approximately 26.5 million passengers between January and July [2]. Furthermore, the Turkish finance sector may find substantial growth potential in the domestic transportation industry, considering the increasing passenger traffic and aircraft movements at Turkish airports.
