Airports across Türkiye handled 49.31 million passengers in the first quarter of 2026, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said, pointing to continued growth in air travel demand.
Of the total, 23.27 million passengers traveled on domestic routes and 26.00 million on international flights, including transit passengers. Overall traffic rose 8.9% compared with the same period in 2025.
In March alone, airports served 16.43 million passengers, up 11.3% year-on-year. Domestic travel accounted for 8.01 million passengers, while international routes carried 8.41 million.
Aircraft movements reached 166,242 in March, including domestic and international takeoffs and landings as well as overflights.
At Istanbul Airport, passenger traffic totaled 6.33 million in March, with 19.11 million passengers handled in the first three months of the year.
Meanwhile, Sabiha Gökçen Airport served 3.66 million passengers in March. In the first quarter, the airport handled 11.58 million travelers, split between 5.03 million domestic and 6.55 million international passengers.
Airports in key tourism destinations also recorded strong activity, serving 6.50 million passengers in the first quarter, reflecting continued resilience in the country’s travel and tourism sector.