RECORD DAY AT SABIHA GOKCEN AIRPORT
Between March 28 and April 6, the period between the school holidays and the nine-day Ramadan Bayram (Eid al-Fitr) holiday, Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen (ISG) International Airport broke consecutive passenger and flight records. During this busy period, ISG served a total of 1,284,601 passengers.
Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen (ISG) International Airport, Türkiye's second-busiest airport and Europe's tenth, continues to grow, breaking passenger and flight records. Record numbers were reached both at the beginning and end of the busy period, which coincided with the Ramadan holiday and school holidays.
The first record of this period was reached on March 29th, the start of the holiday season. The highest number of passengers was reached with 65,864 on domestic routes and 75,296 on international routes, totaling 141,160. The same day, the record for the highest number of flights was also broken with a total of 777 flights, 344 on domestic routes and 433 on international routes.
This double record, which held for a short time, was renewed on the last day of the holiday. Despite the adverse effects of the dense fog experienced throughout Istanbul on Saturday, April 5, 2025, the airline served a total of 141,931 passengers on Sunday, April 6, 2025, with 757 flights carrying 59,433 domestic and 82,498 international passengers, reaching an all-time high daily passenger count.
Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen (ISG) International Airport, experiencing a true "record holiday," broke its record for total international passenger numbers, reaching 78,265 passengers on January 26, 2025. During this holiday period, international arrivals reached 41,959, international departing flights reached 236, and total international flights reached 458, further breaking records in these categories.
A total of 7,166 flights were carried out at Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport during the holiday period between March 28 and April 6, including 3,078 domestic and 4,088 international flights. With 582,945 passengers on domestic routes and 701,656 on international routes, a total of 1,284,601 passengers were served.
Preparations began days in advance
Given the expected passenger density for the upcoming holiday season, ISG implemented a comprehensive series of preparations and measures to ensure guests had the most comfortable and trouble-free travel experience. This included additional planning for operations, security, and cleaning, and increased staffing. Furthermore, improvements within the terminal were made to ease passenger flow and ensure a comfortable travel experience for guests.
Assessing the holiday rush, the ISG Management stated, “We thank all our passengers who choose Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport. We are working tirelessly and diligently to ensure our guests experience the most comfortable travel experiences. The coordinated efforts of the HEAŞ and ISG teams ensured that guests using Sabiha Gökçen Airport had a safe, secure, and comfortable flight. Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport, with its operational and in-terminal access advantages, saves time, offers convenience, and is quickly accessible thanks to its location, will continue to improve its services as THE CITY'S AIRPORT. We are taking steps in line with strategies such as expanding our flight network, adding new destinations, strengthening our digital infrastructure, and improving the passenger experience. We aim to strengthen our impact on the economy through our expansion and capacity expansion efforts to ensure sustainable growth for tourism in Istanbul and our country.”
Having completed 2024 with a record 41.5 million passengers, Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen (İSG) International Airport aims to increase its international market share by reaching 43.2 million passengers in 2025.