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Türkiye’s airports served nearly 230 million passengers in the first 11 months of the year, marking steady growth in both air travel and cargo traffic, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said Saturday.
Citing new data from the State Airports Authority, Uraloğlu said 229.7 million travelers, including direct transit passengers, passed through the country’s airports between January and November, a 6.7% increase from the same period last year.
The minister said the figures highlight the strength of Türkiye’s aviation sector, which has benefited from expanded capacity and continued demand from both domestic and international markets.
Airports recorded 2.32 million aircraft movements in the 11-month period, including overflights, up 9.1% from a year earlier. Domestic flights totaled 916,027, while international operations reached 869,620.
Daily passenger averages reached about 688,000, a level Uraloğlu compared to “filling nine Atatürk Olympic Stadiums every day.”
Passenger totals included 93.8 million domestic travelers and 135.7 million on international routes. Cargo operations also remained strong, with 4.74 million tons handled between January and November, 864,880 tons on domestic routes and 3.87 million tons internationally.
Istanbul Airport continued to lead the country’s aviation activity. In November alone, it handled 44,704 flights and served more than 7 million passengers. From January to November, the airport saw 503,777 aircraft movements and processed 77.5 million passengers, about 16.4 million on domestic flights and more than 61 million on international routes.
Sabiha Gökçen Airport, the city’s second major hub, saw 23,089 aircraft movements and 4.15 million passengers in November. Over 11 months, the airport handled 250,538 flights and served 44.2 million passengers.
Istanbul Atatürk Airport, now limited mostly to cargo and official flights, recorded 2,293 aircraft movements in November and 26,546 passengers over the 11-month span.
Airports in major tourism regions also saw heavy traffic, drawing 60.6 million passengers between January and November. Those hubs processed 406,860 flights, including 141,082 domestic and 265,778 international movements.
Antalya Airport again led the sector, serving 38.1 million passengers, followed by Izmir Adnan Menderes with 11.7 million and Muğla Dalaman with 5.54 million.
Milas-Bodrum Airport recorded 4.3 million passengers, while Gazipaşa-Alanya Airport handled just under 1 million.
Uraloğlu said the aviation data show that Türkiye’s investments in airport infrastructure and expanded flight capacity continue to pay off.
“In 11 months, the number of people traveling by air exceeded 229 million,” he said. “Our airports continue to serve as critical gateways for tourism, trade and global connectivity.”
