Title: "230.2 Million People Took to the Skies in 2024"
Foreks - Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced that airports served 230,224,611 passengers over the past year. Minister Uraloğlu stated, “The amount of cargo and freight transported increased by 11.1% compared to last year, reaching 4,941,729 tons.”
Minister Uraloğlu assessed the airline data from the General Directorate of State Airports Authority (DHMİ). He reported that in December, there were a total of 169,473 aircraft movements, including 66,642 domestic flights and 57,738 international flights. Uraloğlu noted, “Compared to December 2023, air traffic increased by 3.7% in domestic flights and by 7.3% in international flights.”
Passenger numbers rose by 8.2% Evaluating passenger data for the month, Uraloğlu said, “The number of passengers on domestic flights was 7,084,852 and on international flights was 8,470,630, serving a total of 15,562,646 passengers including direct transit. The passenger count has seen an increase of 8.2% compared to the same month in 2023. The amount of cargo transported at our airports reached 380,912 tons in December, with 65,111 tons on domestic and 315,802 tons on international flights.”
In 2024, the Minister announced that the number of aircraft landing and taking off was 902,078 for domestic and 866,779 for international flights, stating, “Including overflights, we reached a total of 2,290,581 aircraft movements. The traffic handled showed a 5.5% increase compared to 2023. Over the course of a year, 95,293,038 passengers were served on domestic flights and 134,694,726 on international flights, with a total of 230,224,611 passengers using our airports. There was a 7.5% increase in overall passenger traffic compared to the previous year.”
Uraloğlu reported that during this period, the amount of cargo and freight handled at airports reached 4,941,729 tons, with 917,816 tons on domestic flights and 4,023,913 tons on international flights, reflecting an 11.1% increase compared to 2023.
Istanbul Airport served 79,988,272 passengers The Minister noted that at Istanbul Airport, one of Turkey’s mega projects, in December, domestic flight traffic reached 8,650 and international traffic hit 33,920, totaling 42,570. Uraloğlu remarked, “Our Istanbul Airport served 1,134,400 passengers on domestic flights and 5,084,037 on international flights, totaling 6,218,437 passengers. This month's passenger traffic showed a 6% increase compared to the same month in 2023.”
Over the course of the year, there were a total of 517,285 aircraft movements, with 117,764 on domestic and 399,521 on international flights. Uraloğlu stated, “We served 17,089,191 passengers on domestic flights and 62,899,081 passengers on international flights, totaling 79,988,272 passengers. This represents a 5% increase in overall passenger traffic compared to 2023.”
Sabiha Gökçen Airport recorded 242,345 aircraft movements Uraloğlu also provided information regarding aircraft traffic at Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport for December, where domestic flight traffic was 9,219 and international flight traffic was 12,248, making a total of 21,467. Passenger traffic was reported as 1,573,258 for domestic flights and 2,002,567 for international flights, totaling 3,575,825 passengers, reflecting a 15% increase compared to the same month in 2023.
He stated that, over the span of a year, there were a total of 242,345 aircraft movements, with 110,677 on domestic flights and 131,668 on international flights. Uraloğlu indicated that 19,509,605 passengers traveled on domestic flights and 21,973,296 on international flights, reaching a total of 41,482,901 passengers, with a 13% increase in passenger traffic serviced in 2024.
At Istanbul Atatürk Airport, where general aviation activities continue, 2,387 aircraft movements occurred in December, with 28,230 aircraft movements over the year.
Tourism centers hosted 60,856,736 passengers in a year Minister Uraloğlu informed that in 2024, airports in tourism centers with high international traffic served a total of 60,856,736 passengers, with 18,107,340 on domestic flights and 42,749,396 on international flights. He mentioned that a total of 410,743 aircraft movements occurred, with 143,217 on domestic and 267,526 on international flights, and continued:
“In 2024, İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport served 11,512,096 passengers, Antalya Airport served 38,254,905 passengers, and Muğla Dalaman Airport served 5,662,465 passengers. Muğla Milas-Bodrum Airport served a total of 4,375,662 passengers, while Gazipaşa Alanya Airport recorded a total of 1,051,608 passenger traffic.”