Airports in Türkiye served 193.16 million passengers, including direct transit travellers, in the first nine months of 2026, a 2.9% increase from the same period last year, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said on Oct. 13, citing figures from the General Directorate of State Airports Authority (DHMİ).
Domestic traffic was the main source of growth. Domestic passenger numbers rose 6.7% year-on-year to 81.71 million, while international passengers edged up 0.5% to 111.37 million.
In September alone, airports handled 25.6 million passengers, up 3.4% on the year. Domestic traffic increased 5.9% to 10.08 million and international traffic rose 2% to 15.51 million.
Istanbul hubs lead
Istanbul Airport, the country’s largest hub, served 64.5 million passengers in January-September, of whom 13.57 million flew on domestic routes and 50.94 million on international services. The airport handled 414,553 flights over the period.
Istanbul’s second airport, Sabiha Gökçen on the Asian side of the city, saw 37.95 million passengers, split between 17.47 million domestic and 20.48 million international travellers. Taken together, the two Istanbul airports accounted for more than half of all passengers in the country.
Tourist gateways
Airports serving the main holiday regions handled a combined 49.63 million passengers, including 16.32 million on domestic flights and 33.31 million on international routes.
Antalya Airport, the gateway to the Mediterranean resorts, led the group with 30.14 million passengers. İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport followed with 10.27 million, while Dalaman and Milas-Bodrum airports in Muğla province served 4.57 million and 3.92 million respectively. Gazipaşa-Alanya Airport handled 730,297 passengers.
The nine-month figures show international traffic broadly flat compared with last year, while domestic demand continued to expand, with domestic passenger growth outpacing international growth both for the year to date and in September.
Sources
Photo: kallerna / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
