Air travel

Air travel
Atatürk Airport in Istanbul is Turkey’s largest airport. From here you can travel to many destinations, both in Turkey and worldwide. Most airlines have offices in such central areas as Taksim, Beşiktas
Atatürk Airport (The Yeşilköy Airport) Atatürk Airport first opened as a civilian airport in 1912, and was opened to international air traffic in 1953.

The airport is spread out over a total area of 9.470.554 square meters, and includes a 62.500 square meters domestic terminal and a 179.000 square metre international terminal and 186.000 square meters new terminal complex. It is Europe’s largest airport. The airport serves a total of 7,5 million travelers and 14 million international passengers each year.

In addition to a variety of forms of public transportation that connect the airport to a variety of destinations in the city, the airport also runs its own bus service, known as Havaş. The Havaş bus service is significantly cheaper than taking a taxi. It departs from in front of the Municipality Art Gallery in Taksim every day at 5.00 a.m., 6.00 a.m., every half hour between 6.00 a.m. and 11.00 p.m., and on the hour from 11.00 p.m. to 1.00 a.m.

The bus service from Atatürk Airport to Taksim and other parts of the city runs on the same schedule. The trip takes around forty minutes.

The price per person varies depending on the destination (3,50-15 YTL).
The trip in the direction of the airport can often involve heavy traffic, especially during rush hour. It is always helpful to check the traffic conditions before setting out to the airport. If you take the coast road connecting Aksaray and Bakırköy to the airport, you are likely to experience less traffic.

The metro/light-rail system that departs from Kabataş, Eminönü and Aksaray offers an even less expensive way to reach Atatürk Airport.

Sabiha Gökçen Airport (the Kurtköy Airport) This airport, which is named after the world’s first female war pilot, Sabiha Gökçen is located on an area of 655 hectares. It has two airfields, each three kilometres in length, with a capacity to serve 55 planes. Each year, 3.5 million passengers and ninety thousand tons of cargo pass through Sabiha Gökçen.

If you are going to the Asian Side of Istanbul, we recommend that you use this airport. Havaş service runs from the Kozyatağı stop to Sabiha Gökçen Airport every day at the following hours: 4.30 a.m.-5.30 a.m.-8.00 a.m.-9.00 a.m.-12.00 p.m.-2.00 p.m.-5.00 p.m.-5.30 p.m.-6.30 p.m.-8.30 p.m.

The bus service from Sabiha Gökçen Airport to Kozyatağı runs according to airplane arrivals at the following hours: 9.20 a.m.-10.15 a.m.-1.40 p.m.-3.15 p.m.- 6.05 p.m.-6.50 p.m.-10.00 p.m.-10.30 p.m.-11.55 p.m.- 1.45 a.m. If you are at the European Side and need to get to Sabiha Gökçen Airport, you can catch a number of different buses that leave from the 4. Levent metro stop.

The trip takes about fifty minutes, and the cost varies depending on the destination (7 - 9,50 YTL).

For more detailed information about travel, ticket prices, and routes:Atatürk Airport: http://www.tav.com.tr/ Ph: (9)0212-663-6400

Sabiha Gökçen Airport: http://www.sgairport.com/ Ph: (9)0212-585-5000
HAVAŞ (airport bus) customer services: 444-0487