Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced that Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport served 44.2 million passengers in the first 11 months of the year, already surpassing the annual passenger record of 41.4 million set in 2024.
In a written statement marking the second anniversary of the commissioning of the second runway at Sabiha Gökçen Airport, Minister Uraloğlu evaluated the contribution of the runway to passenger and aircraft traffic based on data from the General Directorate of State Airports Authority (DHMİ).
31 per cent increase in passenger numbers
Emphasising that the second runway, inaugurated by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on 25 December 2023, significantly increased the airport’s capacity, Uraloğlu shared the following information:
“In the first 11 months of 2023, a total of 33,716,162 passengers were served on domestic and international routes. In the same period this year, the number of passengers increased by 31 per cent compared to 2023, when the second runway was not yet operational, reaching 44,217,405. Thus, in just 11 months, the record of 41,449,044 passengers set in the whole of 2024 has also been exceeded.”
Infrastructure suitable for wide-body aircraft
Minister Uraloğlu stated that the 3,540-metre-long second runway was built to allow the take-off and landing of wide-body aircraft, and drew attention to the investments implemented together with the runway:
- New taxiways
- High-capacity aircraft and cargo aprons
- Modern air traffic control tower
- State-of-the-art superstructure facilities
He noted that these investments have significantly increased the air traffic capacity of Sabiha Gökçen, Istanbul’s second-largest airport.
Strong growth in aircraft traffic as well
Touching on the increase in aircraft traffic, Uraloğlu recalled that 208,643 aircraft movements took place in the first 11 months of 2023 and shared the following details:
“In the same period of 2025, this figure increased by 20 per cent to 250,538. In the whole of 2024, total aircraft traffic stood at 242,612.”
With the commissioning of the second runway at Sabiha Gökçen Airport, it is assessed that Istanbul’s growing air transport demand is being met more effectively and operational flexibility has been strengthened.
