By News Centre
Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu has reviewed the September air traffic statistics released by the General Directorate of State Airports Authority (DHMİ), covering aircraft movements, passenger traffic and cargo transportation.
Uraloglu reported that domestic passenger traffic across Türkiye reached 10,083,933 in September, while international passenger traffic totalled 15,510,913. Including direct transit passengers, airports across the country served a total of 25,603,265 passengers during the month.
Compared with September 2025, domestic passenger traffic increased by 5.9%, international passenger traffic rose by 2%, and total passenger traffic, including direct transit passengers, grew by 3.4%, Uraloglu said.
The minister also noted that airport cargo traffic in September amounted to 97,484 tonnes on domestic routes and 432,366 tonnes on international routes. Total freight traffic, comprising cargo, mail and baggage, reached 529,850 tonnes during the month.
Uraloglu stated that aircraft movements at Turkish airports between January and September totalled 757,441 on domestic routes and 706,574 on international routes. Including overflights, total aircraft traffic reached 1,854,502 movements during the first nine months of the year.
Reporting a 1.1% increase in domestic aircraft traffic compared with the same period last year, Uraloglu provided the following assessment:
“Domestic passenger traffic at airports across Türkiye reached 81,709,700, while international passenger traffic totalled 111,369,604. During the January–September period, we served a total of 193,156,231 passengers, including direct transit passengers.
“This means that over the first nine months of the year, we served more than twice Türkiye’s population in passenger traffic. Compared with the same period in 2025, domestic passenger traffic increased by 6.7%, international passenger traffic rose by 0.5%, and total passenger traffic, including direct transit passengers, grew by 2.9%.
“Over the nine-month period, airport cargo traffic reached a total of 4,124,819 tonnes, comprising 751,779 tonnes on domestic routes and 3,373,040 tonnes on international routes. Compared with January–September last year, domestic cargo traffic increased by 5.6%, international cargo traffic rose by 1.7%, and total cargo traffic grew by 2.4%.”
Uraloglu also reported that aircraft traffic at Istanbul Airport reached 49,066 movements in September, comprising 10,931 domestic and 38,135 international flights.
During the month, Istanbul Airport served 7,853,904 passengers, including 1,631,070 on domestic routes and 6,222,834 on international routes, the minister said.
“During the January–September period, Istanbul Airport recorded a total of 414,553 aircraft movements, comprising 93,677 domestic and 320,876 international movements. The airport served a total of 64,502,869 passengers, including 13,565,722 on domestic routes and 50,937,147 on international routes,” Uraloglu stated.
At Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport, aircraft movements in September totalled 26,551, including 11,860 domestic and 14,691 international flights, according to the minister.
Passenger traffic at the airport reached 4,792,227 in September, comprising 2,203,910 domestic passengers and 2,588,317 international passengers.
Uraloglu noted that Sabiha Gokcen Airport recorded 215,384 aircraft movements during the first nine months of the year, including 95,937 domestic and 119,447 international movements.
Over the same period, the airport served 37,948,837 passengers, comprising 17,465,832 on domestic routes and 20,483,005 on international routes, he added.
The minister also reported aircraft traffic figures for Istanbul Ataturk Airport, where general aviation activities continue. The airport recorded 2,120 aircraft movements in September and 20,023 movements during the January–September period.
Uraloglu also shared passenger traffic figures for airports serving Türkiye’s major tourism destinations, where international flights account for a substantial share of operations.
“During the first nine months of the year, airports in tourism destinations served a total of 49,630,922 passengers, including 16,322,019 on domestic routes and 33,308,903 on international routes.
“During the same period, these airports recorded 327,525 aircraft movements, comprising 121,422 domestic and 206,103 international movements.
“Between January and September, Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport served 10,266,205 passengers. Antalya Airport handled 30,144,861 passengers, while passenger traffic at Mugla Dalaman Airport reached 4,571,445.
“Mugla Milas-Bodrum Airport served 3,918,114 passengers, while Gazipasa-Alanya Airport handled 730,297 passengers,” Uraloglu said.