Sabiha Gökçen International Airport

Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (IATA: SAW, ICAO: LTFJ) is the secondary international airport serving Istanbul, Turkey. Located 32 km (20 mi) southeast^[1] of the city centre, Sabiha Gökçen Airport is in the Asian part of the transcontinental city and serves as the operating base for AJet and Pegasus Airlines.

Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport İstanbul Sabiha Gökçen Uluslararası Havalimanı
IATA: SAW ICAO: LTFJ
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	HEAŞ (Airport Management & Aeronautical Industries Inc)
Operator	Malaysia Airports
Serves	Istanbul
Location	Pendik, Turkey
Opened	8 January 2001; 24 years ago (2001-01-08)
Operating base for	AJet Pegasus Airlines
Time zone	TRT (UTC+3)
Elevation AMSL	95 m / 312 ft
Coordinates	40°53′54″N 29°18′33″E
Website	www.sabihagokcen.aero
Map
SAW/LTFJ Location of airport in Istanbul province Show map of Istanbul SAW/LTFJ SAW/LTFJ (Turkey) Show map of Turkey SAW/LTFJ SAW/LTFJ (North Atlantic) Show map of North Atlantic
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 06L/24R 3,000 9,843 Concrete 06R/24L 3,500 11,483 Concrete
Statistics (2024)
Passengers 41,482,901 Passenger change compared to 2023 12% Aircraft movements 241,536 Movements change compared to 2023 6%
Source: Turkish AIP at EUROCONTROL[1] Passenger Traffic, ACI Europe[2]

The airport is named after Sabiha Gökçen, adoptive daughter of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and the first female fighter pilot in the world.^[3] Although Istanbul Airport, located 63 km (39 mi) west of the European side of Istanbul, is larger, Sabiha Gökçen is still one of the largest airports in the country and one of the busiest airports in the Middle East.

Overview

Foundation

The airport was built because Atatürk Airport (located on the European side) was not large enough to meet the booming passenger demands (both domestic and international). The airport opened on 8 January 2001. In June 2007, Turkish conglomerate Limak Holding, India's GMR Group and Malaysia Airport Holding Berhad (MAHB) consortium gained the contract for upgrading and maintaining the airport. In mid-2008, ground was broken to upgrade the international terminal to handle 25 million passengers annually. The new terminal was inaugurated on 31 October 2009.^[4]

SAW's international terminal capacity originally was 3 million passengers per year and the domestic terminal capacity was 0.5 million passengers per year. In 2010, Sabiha Gökçen airport handled 11,129,472 passengers, a 71% increase compared to 2009.^[5] The airport was planning (in 2011) to host 25 million passengers by 2023,^[6][7] but has already received and handled more than 35 million passengers by 2019.

Expansion

In September 2010, the airport was voted the World's Best Airport at the World Low Cost Airlines Congress in London and received the award.^[8] The other awards received by the airport in 2010 were: Turkey's Most Successful Tourism Investment 2010, the highly commended award from Routes Europe, and the Airport Traffic Growth Award by Airline News & Network Analysis.^[9]

A second runway was inaugurated on 25 December 2023.^[10] The addition of this runway will increase the hourly capacity from 40 to 80 aircraft movements, making the airport hope for double the capacity. It is also planned to build new passenger terminals between the two runways.^[11]

Facilities

Terminal

The new terminal building with a 25 million annual passenger capacity serves domestic and international flights under one roof. It is equipped with 112 check-in, 24 online check-in counters as well as a VIP building and apron viewing CIP halls with business lounges. The terminal additionally features a 400 m² (4,300 sq ft) conference centre, a 5,000 m² (54,000 sq ft) food court and a duty-free shopping area with a ground of 4,500 square metres (48,000 sq ft). At the international departures area, on the airside, an hourly hotel and lounge became operational in January 2020 as well.^[12]

Other facilities

The features and services of the new terminal and its outlying buildings include a four-storey car park with a capacity of about 4,718 vehicles + 72 bus (3,836 indoors and 882 + 72 bus outdoors), a four-story hotel with 128 rooms adjacent to the terminal. There is also a Multi Aircraft Ramp System (MARS), allowing simultaneous service to 8 aircraft with large fuselages (IATA code E) or 16 middle-sized fuselage aircraft (IATA code C) installed.^{[citation needed]}

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights to and from Sabiha Gökçen International Airport:^[13]

Airlines	Destinations
Air Arabia	Abu Dhabi, Cairo,[14] Casablanca,[15] Sharjah, Tangier[16]
Air Cairo	Cairo[17]
AJet[18][19][20]	Adana/Mersin,[21][22] Adiyaman,[21] Ağrı,[21] Algiers,[23] Amsterdam,[21] Ankara,[21] Antalya,[21] Baghdad, Bahrain,[24] Baku,[21] Barcelona,[25] Basel/Mulhouse,[21] Batman,[21] Belgrade,[26][27] Bergamo,[21][28] Berlin,[29] Bishkek,[30] Bodrum,[21] Brussels,[21] Budapest,[21][31] Cairo,[32] Cologne/Bonn,[29] Copenhagen,[21][27] Dalaman,[21] Damascus,[33] Dammam,[34] Denizli,[21] Diyarbakır,[21] Dubai–International,[21] Düsseldorf,[29] Edremit, Elazığ,[21] Erbil, Ercan,[21] Erzincan,[21] Erzurum,[35] Frankfurt,[29] Ganja (begins 3 June 2025),[36] Gaziantep,[21] Giza, Hamburg,[29][27] Hannover,[29][27] Hatay,[21] Hurghada,[32] Iğdır,[21][37] İzmir,[21] Jeddah, Kars,[21] Kayseri,[21] Konya,[21] Kuwait City, London–Stansted,[29] Lyon,[21][27] Malatya,[21] Mardin,[21] Medina, Moscow–Vnukovo,[38] Mostar (begins 4 June 2025),[39] Munich,[29] Nakhchivan (begins 3 June 2025),[36] Nevşehir,[21] Ordu/Giresun,[21] Paris–Charles de Gaulle,[21] Pristina,[40][21] Riyadh,[34] Rize/Artvin,[21][41] Rome–Fiumicino,[21] Saint Petersburg,[42] Samsun,[21] Şanlıurfa,[21] Sarajevo,[21][27] Sharjah,[29][43] Sharm El Sheikh,[32] Shymkent, Şırnak,[21] Sivas,[21] Stockholm–Arlanda (begins 2 June 2025),[44] Stuttgart,[29] Tbilisi,[21] Tehran–Imam Khomeini, Tokat,[21][45] Trabzon,[21] Tuzla,[46] Urmia,[27] Van,[21] Vienna,[21] Zurich[21][27]
Azerbaijan Airlines	Baku[47]
British Airways	London–Heathrow[48]
FlyArystan	Türkıstan
Fly Baghdad	Baghdad
Flydubai	Dubai–International
Flynas	Gassim, Jeddah,[49] Riyadh, Dammam
Iraqi Airways	Baghdad
Jazeera Airways	Kuwait City[50]
Kuwait Airways	Kuwait City
Nile Air	Cairo[51]
Pegasus Airlines	Abu Dhabi,[52][53] Adana/Mersin,[54] Adıyaman,[55] Aktau,[56] Alexandria,[57] Algiers (begins 23 May 2025),[58] Almaty,[59] Amasya/Merzifon,[59] Amman–Queen Alia,[59] Amsterdam,[60] Ankara,[61] Antalya,[62] Astana,[59] Athens,[59] Atyrau,[63] Baghdad, Bahrain,[59] Baku,[59] Barcelona,[64] Basel/Mulhouse,[59] Basra,[65] Batman,[59] Batumi,[66] Beirut, Belgrade,[59] Bergamo,[60] Berlin,[59] Bratislava,[67] Birmingham,[68] Bishkek,[69] Bristol (begins 8 July 2025),[70] Bodrum,[60] Bologna,[59] Bremen,[71] Bucharest–Otopeni,[59] Budapest,[59] Casablanca,[72] Charleroi,[59] Chisinau,[56] Cluj-Napoca,[73] Cologne/Bonn, Copenhagen,[60] Dalaman,[60] Dammam,[74] Denizli,[59] Diyarbakır,[60] Doha, Dortmund,[75] Dubai–International,[59] Dublin,[76] Düsseldorf,[59] Edinburgh,[77] Edremit,[59] Eindhoven,[78] Elazığ,[59] Erbil, Ercan,[59] Erzincan,[59] Erzurum,[59] Frankfurt,[59] Ganja,[79][80] Gaziantep,[59] Gazipaşa/Alanya,[59] Geneva,[60] Giza,[56] Graz (begins 30 May 2025),[81] Grozny, Hamburg,[59] Hannover,[59] Helsinki,[59] Hurghada,[59] Iğdır,[82] Isfahan,[83] İzmir,[59] Jeddah,[69] Kahramanmaraş,[84] Karachi, Kars,[59] Kastamonu, Kayseri,[60] Konya,[60] Kutaisi,[85] Kuwait City, London–Stansted,[59] Lyon,[59] Madrid,[59] Malatya,[59] Manchester,[86] Mardin,[59] Marseille,[59] Mashhad,[87] Medina,[88] Munich,[59] Muş,[59] Muscat,[89] Nice,[90] Nuremberg, Ordu/Giresun,[59] Osh,[64][91] Oslo,[59] Paris–Charles de Gaulle,[55] Paris–Orly,[60] Podgorica,[92] Prague,[59] Pristina,[59] Ras Al Khaimah,[93] Riyadh,[69][94] Rize/Artvin,[59] Rome–Fiumicino,[60] Rotterdam/The Hague,[95] Saint Petersburg,[96] Samsun,[60] Şanlıurfa,[60] Sarajevo,[59] Seville,[97][98] Sharjah,[99] Sharm El Sheikh,[59] Shiraz,[83] Shymkent,[59] Sinop,[100] Sivas,[59] Skopje,[59] Sofia,[101] Stockholm–Arlanda,[102] Stuttgart,[59] Sulaimaniyah, Tabriz, Tbilisi,[59] Tehran–Imam Khomeini, Tirana,[59] Trabzon,[59] Tuzla,[103] Van,[59] Venice,[104] Vienna,[59] Yerevan,[105] Zagreb,[106][107] Zurich[60] Seasonal: Mytilene,[55] Rhodes[55]
Qatar Airways	Doha
SalamAir	Muscat[108][109]
Transavia France	Paris–Orly (begins 26 October 2025)[110]

Cargo

Airlines	Destinations
Cargolux[111]	Luxembourg
Ethiopian Cargo[112]	Addis Ababa
MNG Airlines[113]	Leipzig/Halle, Paris–Charles de Gaulle

Statistics

Terminal building

Check-in area

View of the apron

İstanbul–Sabiha Gökçen International Airport passenger traffic statistics^[114]

Year	Domestic	% change	International	% change	Total	% change
2025(Apr.)	5,982,752	0%	8,125,118	19%	14,107,870	10%
2024	19,509,605	12%	21,973,296	14%	41,482,901	13%
2023	17,473,660	15%	19,351,764	25%	36,825,424	20%
2022	15,239,756	5%	15,498,098	76%	30,737,854	23%
2021	16,095,763	38%	8,805,144	67%	24,900,907	47%
2020	11,687,578	46%	5,263,612	63%	16,951,190	52%
2019	21,505,088	4%	14,055,522	21%	35,560,610	4%
2018	22,514,048	7%	11,619,569	13%	34,133,617	9%
2017	21,075,833	4%	10,310,205	9%	31,386,038	6%
2016	20,196,261	9%	9,471,592	1%	29,667,853	6%
2015	18,525,649	24%	9,583,089	12%	28,108,738	20%
2014	14,955,571	25%	8,539,075	30%	23,494,646	27%
2013	11,928,074	23%	6,593,688	33%	18,521,762	26%
2012	9,710,105	12%	4,975,947	13%	14,686,052	12%
2011	8,704,249	16%	4,420,421	19%	13,124,670	17%
2010	7,489,479	66%	3,700,199	84%	11,189,678	72%
2009	4,510,895	63%	2,006,591	32%	6,517,486	52%
2008	2,764,856	9%	1,516,337	27%	4,281,193	15%
2007	2,528,549	17%	1,191,946	56%	3,720,495	28%
2006	2,153,561	285%	762,893	66%	2,916,454	186%
2005	559,824	5323%	459,922	96%	1,019,746	315%
2004	10,323	265%	235,278	52%	245,601	56%
2003	2,826		154,346		157,172

Ground transport

See also: Public transport in Istanbul

The M4 metro line has been extended to the airport.

Sabiha Gökçen International Airport is connected to the city of Istanbul and the city's wider metropolitan area through a number of transport options.

Rail

The airport is located 14 km from the Pendik railway station and sea-taxi stations.

Metro

Main article: Sabiha Gökçen Havalimanı (Istanbul Metro)

The M4 metro line was extended to Sabiha Gökçen Havalimanı station on 2 October 2022.^[115]

M10, a metro connection to Marmaray and Yüksek Hızlı Tren via the Pendik station is currently being built.^{[citation needed]}

Road

The airport is reachable by car and taxi ^[116] from the E80 European motorway which passes through the Istanbul Metropolitan Area. Shuttlebus companies such as Havaist^[117] along with express public buses E10 and E11 operated by İETT^[118] serve Taksim and Kadıköy and there are coaches to nearby towns and cities.

Accidents and incidents

• On 23 December 2015, at approximately 2:00 AM, explosions were reported to have occurred in a parked Pegasus Airlines aircraft, killing one cleaner and wounding another inside the plane. Five nearby planes were reported to be damaged as well. The operations were reported to continue normally soon after, however with heightened security measures in place.^[119] Three days later, it was reported that militant group Kurdistan Freedom Falcons had organized the attack.^[120]
• On 7 January 2020, a plane operated as Pegasus Airlines flight 747, a Boeing 737-800, suffered a runway excursion after landing. Passengers evacuated the aircraft using slides. No fatalities or injuries occurred.^[121]
• On 5 February 2020, a Boeing 737-800, registration TC-IZK, operated as Pegasus Airlines Flight 2193, skidded off the end of Runway 06, leading to an airport shutdown.^[122] There were 177 passengers and 6 crew on board. Three people were killed, another 179 were injured.

See also

• List of the busiest airports in Turkey
• List of the busiest airports in Asia
• List of the busiest airports in the Middle East
• List of busiest airports by passenger traffic