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Türkiye's airports served nearly 50 million passengers in the first three months of 2026, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu announced, pointing to sustained growth in both domestic and international air travel, building on a record-breaking year for the country's aviation sector.
The total passenger count for the January–March period reached 49,306,377, an 8.9% increase compared to the same period in 2025.
The figure places Türkiye on a strong trajectory heading into the summer travel season, with annual passenger targets already set higher for the year ahead.
March alone recorded 16,428,625 travelers, a figure that surpassed the population of Istanbul, the country's largest city.
Compared to the same month last year, monthly passenger traffic grew 11.3%, underscoring the pace at which demand for air travel continues to expand.
The first-quarter results follow a landmark 2025 for Türkiye's aviation sector. Istanbul Airport, the country's flagship hub, handled 84 million passengers last year, while Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport on the city's Asian side served 48 million.
Combined, the two airports welcomed 132 million passengers in 2025, their highest-ever totals.
That performance established Istanbul Airport as Europe's busiest airport for the fourth consecutive year, averaging 1,491 flights per day throughout 2025.
Across all of Türkiye, the daily average reached 3,355 flights, placing the country sixth in Europe for overall air traffic volume.
Minister Uraloglu noted that average daily flights have risen 20% compared to pre-pandemic levels, a figure that reflects not only a full recovery from the disruptions of the pandemic years but a significant expansion in capacity and demand.
Istanbul Airport remained the busiest hub in the country in the first quarter of 2026, handling more than 19 million passengers. In March alone, the airport served 6,333,485 travelers, the majority of them on international routes.
The airport's position as a global connectivity hub is reinforced by its scale. It currently connects passengers to more than 330 destinations worldwide, with 116 scheduled passenger airlines operating from its terminals.
The annual passenger target for Istanbul Airport has been set at 90 million for 2026.
The airport also holds a notable infrastructure milestone: in April 2025, it became the first airport in Europe to successfully implement triple independent parallel runways, a development that significantly expanded its operational capacity.
Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport added another 11,577,775 passengers over the same three-month period, bringing the combined passenger traffic across Istanbul's two main commercial airports to more than 30 million for the quarter.
In 2025, Sabiha Gokcen saw international passenger traffic grow more than 24% year-over-year, with Germany ranking as the most preferred international destination.
Türkiye's growth comes amid broader expansion in European air travel. The European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol) region recorded approximately 11.1 million flights in 2025, a 4.1% increase from the previous year.
The single busiest day across the continent was July 18, 2025, with 37,034 flights.
Within that landscape, Istanbul Airport's daily average of 1,491 flights placed it well ahead of the continent's next busiest hubs — Amsterdam Airport at 1,351 flights per day, London Heathrow at 1,315, Paris Charles de Gaulle at 1,314, and Frankfurt Airport at 1,261.
Athens International Airport moved into the top 10 over the same period, while London Gatwick dropped to 13th place, reflecting the shifting dynamics of European air travel demand.
Airports serving Türkiye's major tourism destinations recorded 6,500,938 passengers in the first quarter of 2026.
Antalya Airport led the group with 3,138,499 passengers, followed by Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport with 2,643,768. Mugla Milas-Bodrum, Mugla Dalaman, and Gazipasa Alanya airports accounted for the remainder.
The tourism airport figures signal early momentum ahead of what is expected to be a busy summer season, with international arrivals at leisure destinations already showing growth in the opening months of the year.
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