Minister of Transport Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced that 17 million 785 thousand passengers, including transit passengers, were served at airports across Turkey in January.
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced that in January 2026, a total of 17 million 785 thousand 633 passengers, including transit passengers, were served at airports across Turkey. Passenger traffic increased by 9.6 percent compared to the same month last year.
AIRCRAFT TRAFFIC CONTINUED TO RISE
Minister Uraloğlu shared the following information regarding aircraft take-offs and landings in January:
- Domestic routes: 68 thousand 371
- International routes: 62 thousand 749
Including overflights, total aircraft traffic reached 179 thousand 78. This figure indicates a 1.8 percent increase compared to the same month of 2025.
PASSENGER AND CARGO TRAFFIC FIGURES
In January:
- Domestic passenger traffic: 8 million 200 thousand 145
- International passenger traffic: 9 million 572 thousand 922
- Including direct transit passengers, the total number of passengers reached 17 million 785 thousand 633.
During the same period, airport cargo traffic amounted to:
- Domestic cargo traffic: 75 thousand 621 tons
- International cargo traffic: 326 thousand 245 tons,
- bringing total cargo transported to 401 thousand 866 tons.
ISTANBUL AIRPORTS STOOD OUT
According to the information provided by Minister Uraloğlu, in January at Istanbul Airport:
- Domestic aircraft traffic: 9 thousand 265
- International aircraft traffic: 35 thousand 825
- Total aircraft traffic: 45 thousand 90
Passenger numbers were:
- Domestic: 1 million 329 thousand 833
- International: 5 million 580 thousand 975, bringing the total to 6 million 910 thousand 808. Passenger traffic increased by 7 percent compared to the same month last year.
At Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport:
- Total aircraft traffic: 23 thousand 688
- Total passenger traffic: 4 million 189 thousand 974. Passenger numbers at Sabiha Gökçen increased by 14 percent compared to the same month last year.
Thus, the total number of passengers using Istanbul Airport and Sabiha Gökçen Airport in January exceeded 11.1 million. Nearly one out of every two passengers choosing air travel in Turkey travelled through airports in Istanbul.
At Istanbul Atatürk Airport, where general aviation activities continue, 1,862 aircraft movements were recorded in January.
2.2 MILLION PASSENGERS IN TOURISM DESTINATIONS
At airports in tourism regions in January:
- Total passenger traffic: 2 million 285 thousand 422
- Total aircraft traffic: 16 thousand 739 were recorded.
Prominent airports and passenger numbers were as follows:
- Izmir Adnan Menderes: 978 thousand 647
- Antalya: 1 million 74 thousand 277
- Muğla Dalaman: 89 thousand 53
- Muğla Milas-Bodrum: 108 thousand 763
- Gazipaşa-Alanya: 34 thousand 682
