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ISTANBUL AIRPORT (IST)

Istanbul Airport, also known by its International Civil Aviation Organization code of IST, is the primary international airport for the city of Istanbul in Turkey, which is home to more than 15 million people and is an increasingly popular choice for where people spend their vacations.

Istanbul Airport IST

IST airport is about 33 miles (54 kilometers) from downtown Istanbul, making it a fairly convenient way for visitors from around the globe to visit the city. There are a number of transportation options for getting to and from the airport, including buses, private shuttles, rental cars and taxis, and the right choice will depend on your specific vacation needs. Eventually, the Istanbul Metro – the city’s railway network – will have connections directly to the airport. The airport is known as Istanbul New Airport because construction finished in October 2018, to help cope with increasing air traffic to the city. Before Istanbul New Airport opened, most air traffic passed through Istanbul Atatürk Airport, which opened in 1912 as an airfield and in 1953 as an airport.

Istanbul Atatürk Airport has only one runway, and eventually the Turkish government decided that it was necessary to construct a new and bigger airport. Istanbul New Airport was the result of that decision, and just months after its opening, all passenger flights were transferred from Istanbul Atatürk Airport to the new airport starting in April 2019. This switch made Istanbul New Airport the primary airport for domestic and international flights to and from Istanbul, leaving Istanbul New Airport to mostly handle cargo.

Istannbul Airport (IST) handled 52,009,220 passengers in 2019 and is the busiest airport in Turkey.

To get to Istanbul downtown via taxi, from Istanbul Airport it takes about 40 min without traffic and will cost about 40 euro.

Developers chose a site for constructing the new airport within a site of about 19,000 acres large (or about 7,600 hectares) located near to Lake Terkos in Turkey’s Thrace region. The airport is close to the intersection of some of the main roads leading to Istanbul and locations within the broader Istanbul Province including Arnavutköy, Çatalca and Göktürk.

Istanbul Atatürk Airport for years used to be known by the International Civil Aviation Organization code of IST, but after Istanbul New Airport opened, the code was transferred to the new facility to use, and Istanbul Atatürk Airport now uses the different code of LTBA.

Despite only having been operating for a few years, Istanbul New Airport is already responsible for handling most of the major passenger air traffic for the city. According to data from 2020, that year the airport processed more than 23 million passengers, of which almost 16 million were international passengers, and also handled a total cargo tonnage of 869,289.

The airport features a single terminal that is used for all of the international and domestic flights that it processes, and it provides a total of four runways for aircraft to use. Two of the runways are about 13,450 feet (or 4,100 meters) long by about 197 feet (or 60 meters) wide, and the other two runaways are about 12,300 feet or (3,750 meters) long by about 147 feet (or 45 meters) wide. All four runway surfaces are covered in asphalt.

IST Airport Information

IATA airport code: IST

ICAO airport code: LTFM

Owner: General Directorate of State Airports (DHMİ)

Operator: IGA (Istanbul Grand Airport) Havalimanı İşletmesi A.Ş.

Serves: Istanbul, Turkey

Hub for

Turkish Airlines
Turkish Cargo

Location: Arnavutköy, Istanbul

Airport Facilities

Banking: Whether you need to use an ATM, another type of cash machine, or exchange some currency, you will find the services that you need within the airport terminal.

Food and Drink: You can currently choose among more than 150 different options for getting something to eat or drink in the airport, ranging from fast food to fine dining and more.

For Children: Parents traveling with infants or children will be pleased to know the airport has extensive services for families, such as child-friendly security processing, the ability to borrow buggies or strollers for free, private rooms for changing diapers, and priority car park spaces.

Fresh Air: The airport provides a large non-smoking outdoor area where passengers can step outside of the terminal and enjoy some fresh air before while waiting for their flight.

Medical Aid: Health emergencies can happen at airports, and the terminal features a number of first aid stations, mobile health units, pharmacies, and even a PCR testing facility.

Pets: Istanbul New Airport provides an area where your pet or service animal approved for your flight can use the toilet either before your flight takes off or after it has landed.

Transportation

The following means of transportation are available at Istanbul Airport to get to and from Turkeys’s capital:

Taxi: Transfer to Istanbul city centre within 20 minutes by taxi. From the Istanbul Airport you will definitely want to catch an Istanbul Airport taxi to the City Center..

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Bus: Public transportation takes you to Istanbul within 45 minutes.

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Car Hire: The best option to explore Istanbul and its region is by hiring a car at Istanbul Airport.

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Shopping

Istanbul New Airport offers a designated Duty Free shopping area, as well as a large range of other stores selling many different items including clothing, books, and more.

Sleeping Options

If you’re eager to sleep before your departure or after your arrival, you can pay €70 for four hours in a YotelAir room, designed for short naps. Or you can pay €6 for one hour inside an IGA Sleepods to get some rest, but you’ll have to pay €2 more for blankets and pillows.

Lost and Found

As with most major airports, the terminal includes lost and found facilities in the event that you cannot find your checked baggage after your flight lands, or if you misplace a personal item while within the facility. Items lost on airplanes should be reported to the airline.