Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu shared the May 2025 aircraft, passenger, and cargo traffic statistics released by the General Directorate of State Airports Authority (DHMİ). According to the report, Turkish airports served a total of 85,420,438 passengers between January and May.
6.5% Increase in Aircraft Traffic
In the five-month period, domestic flights accounted for 365,145 aircraft movements, while international flights accounted for 318,618. Including overflights, the total aircraft traffic reached 910,988—a 6.5% increase compared to the same period last year.
In May alone, 85,368 domestic and 82,587 international flights were recorded. Including overflights, the total aircraft traffic reached 215,808 for the month, representing a 7.3% increase compared to May of the previous year.
Over 21 Million Passengers in a Single Month
In May, 8,480,582 passengers flew on domestic routes, while 12,677,712 travelled on international routes. Including direct transit passengers, the total number of passengers reached 21,170,171—up 3.7% from the same month last year.
From January to May, domestic passenger traffic totalled 37,264,358 and international passenger traffic reached 48,091,649, bringing the total close to 85.5 million. Passenger traffic rose by 3.5% compared to the same period in 2024.
Cargo Traffic Surpasses 1.8 Million Tonnes
In May, 72,792 tonnes of cargo were transported on domestic routes and 365,071 tonnes on international routes. For the January–May period, domestic cargo traffic totalled 329,668 tonnes, and international cargo traffic reached 1,539,714 tonnes—resulting in a combined total of 1,869,382 tonnes.
Istanbul Airport Leads the Way
In May 2025, Istanbul Airport served 1,500,123 domestic and 5,462,411 international passengers, for a total of 6,962,534. The number of aircraft movements at the airport during the month was 46,556.
From January to May, the total number of passengers served at Istanbul Airport reached 31,898,425, with 212,978 aircraft movements recorded.
Over 18 Million Passengers at Sabiha Gökçen Airport
In May, Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport hosted 3,948,455 passengers. In the first five months of the year, 7,757,023 domestic and 10,299,302 international passengers used the airport, totalling 18,056,325 passengers.
Aircraft traffic at Sabiha Gökçen during this period reached 105,278.
Over 16 Million Passengers at Tourism Airports in 5 Months
Tourism airports in Turkey served a total of 16,334,049 passengers from January to May. This figure includes 6,686,000 domestic and 9,647,000 international passengers.
Here are the five-month passenger figures for key tourism airports:
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Antalya Airport: 9,565,963
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Izmir Adnan Menderes: 4,357,154
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Muğla Dalaman: 1,218,131
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Milas-Bodrum: 918,020
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Gazipaşa Alanya: 274,781
Minister Uraloğlu commented, “Our aviation sector is not only growing numerically but also exceeds global standards in terms of operational capacity and infrastructure.”
