Istanbul Airport | Biggest Airport In Turkey 2024

When I arrived at Istanbul airport, I realized that Istanbul is an amazing city. Before my trip, I had read about this airport, but what I saw was completely different from what I had read, and that’s why I decided to write an article and introduce this airport to you based on what I experienced.

Before reading the rest of the article, consider that Istanbul has two airports, Sabiha Gökçen, and Istanbul Airport; I will introduce the new Istanbul International Airport in this article.

General introduction of Turkey Istanbul Airport

• Official Name: Istanbul Airport
• Code: IST
• Address: Tayakadın Mahallesi, Terminal Caddesi No:1, 34283 Arnavutköy/İstanbul
• Phone Number: +90 4441442
• Email: ist@igairport.aero
• WebSite: https://www.istairport.com/

Istanbul International Airport was built on the European side and outside the city. It replaced Ataturk Airport in 2019, and from that date on, all flights from Ataturk Airport were transferred to this airport.

This airport is 24.8 miles (40 kilometres) from Taksim Square and 32.3 miles (52 kilometres) from Kadıköy.

According to the research, Istanbul Airport hosted 76 million passengers in 2023, and the next goal of this airport is 85 million passengers in 2024. According to airport-technology.com, Istanbul Airport will be able to handle more than 200 million passengers in 2028, which is unmatched worldwide.

Istanbul’s new airport is being completed on a land area of ​​76.5 million square meters, making it one of the largest airports in the world. Currently, this airport has one terminal for international and domestic flights. Still, eventually, it is supposed to have three or four terminals that will be connected by train.

Istanbul Airport Terminal

All domestic and international flights in Istanbul are carried out in this terminal, which has an area of 1,440,000 square meters. Still, you should know that the domestic and international flights are completely separate.

For easy access to domestic flights, it is better to use turquoise and green parking lots; for international flights, use yellow, red, and blue parking lots.

You should know that domestic passengers should go to counters E and D, and after passing through corridor D, go to the passport control section.

For the convenience of people and to make things go faster, a series of other divisions have also been made, which I have explained below:

• Individuals and travel groups with special requests: Corridor G
• Passengers who travelled as a family: Corridor K
• Passengers from the United States, United Kingdom and Canada: Corridor K

My experience of arriving at Istanbul Airport

After getting off the plane, I followed the Passport Control sign and went to the passport checkpoint for the officer to stamp my entry into Turkey. After seeing the exit sign, I went to the exit door and reached the baggage delivery section using the moving walkway.

There were many baggage claim lines, and to find my bags, I found the flight information and aisle number where my bags were on the big screen in the airport.

All these lines are located next to each other and are named with numbers and letters. If you need help finding your luggage, ask the airport staff to help you.

This airport is really big, and it is built on several floors. There is an elevator for disabled people so that they can easily use it.

There are many shops of various brands throughout the airport where you can shop. There are also duty-free shops in the international section of the airport where you can buy goods such as alcohol and cologne at a lower price.

This issue is fully explained in the article “Duty Free Istanbul Airport“, which you can read if needed.

After visiting different parts of the airport, I went to the main exit marked by the Exit sign or çıkış, left the airport, and went to the subway station.

Facilities and important parts of Istanbul’s new airport

• Television Viewing Areas
• iGA Sleepod
• Postal Services & Cargo
• Ticket Sales Services
• Napzone Areas
• Left Luggage Offices and Storage Lockers: Ticket Sales Office 6
• Youth Lounge
• Library
• Museums and Exhibitions
• Smoking Areas: Near the 8th Exit Gate
• Parking
• Equipped with luggage storage for when you plan to explore the city
• Airport hotel with 451 rooms for travellers to rest
• Hospital and prayer hall
• Children’s room and place for babies
• Having financial facilities such as ATMs, banks and post offices
• Free internet around the clock
• Moving walkway
• The possibility of booking and renting a car
• Mobile phone charger
• Coffee shop and restaurant

Restaurant and cafe

Istanbul Airport has cafes and restaurants such as Starbucks,McDonald’s and Simit Sarayı that serve Turkish and international food differently.

Below are some of these restaurants:

• Gourmet Trilogy
• Tadında Anadolu
• Simit Sarayı
• Çay Saati
• Deli Auxpain
• Gloria Jean’s Coffees
• Starbucks
• H Quick Lounge
• Mood Up
• MVNCH Cafe
• Via Café

For more information about the airport’s food, read the article “What to eat In Istanbul Airport?”

Transportation ways from the airport to the city

The variety of transportation methods from the airport to the city is very large. Taxis are always available, but they are expensive due to the high price of gasoline in Istanbul. You have to pay about 2000 liras to reach the city center.

Another way to get to the city center is to take the Havabus buses. They can take you there in 80 minutes for about 200 liras. This method is suitable for people who want to avoid paying a lot for a taxi and have a lot of luggage with them.

The last method is to use the subway. This is the cheapest way to reach the city center. You can get to the city center for about 60 liras. To get to the metro, follow the red sign marked with the letter M and get on line M1.

In conclusion

I introduced this airport from my point of view in this article so that you can familiarize yourself with it before your trip. Istanbul’s new airport is one of the world’s most advanced and beautiful airports. It was put into operation in 2019 due to Istanbul’s touristic nature. Currently, many airlines from all over the world fly to this airport every day, so it has succeeded in becoming one of the most famous airports in the world.