Istanbul Airport Shatters Record with 44 Million Passengers in 11 Months

Sabiha Gokcen International Airport in Istanbul has served 44.2 million passengers so far in 2025. This breaks its full-year record from 2024 with one month still to go. Turkey’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister announced the surge. He said passenger numbers grew 31% in the first 11 months of 2025. The comparison is to the same period in 2023, before a second runway opened. The new runway began operation in January 2024. It has significantly increased the airport's capacity. The record traffic confirms Istanbul's rising role as a major global travel hub. The airport is on the Asian side of Istanbul. It is a key base for low-cost carriers.