25.12.2025 15:37
The Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, announced that Sabiha Gökçen Airport served 44.2 million passengers in the first 11 months of the year, surpassing the previous record of 41.4 million passengers set for the entire year of 2024.
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu reported that Sabiha Gökçen Airport served 44.2 million passengers in the first 11 months of the year, surpassing the record of 41.4 million passengers set for the entire year of 2024. In his written statement, Uraloğlu evaluated the second anniversary of the commissioning of the second runway at Sabiha Gökçen Airport.
ISTANBUL'S SECOND LARGEST AIRPORT
Uraloğlu drew attention to the contribution of the runway, which was opened by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on December 25, 2023, to passenger and aircraft traffic, emphasizing that the second runway, which is 3,540 meters long, was built to accommodate the landing of wide-body aircraft. Uraloğlu stated that the taxiway, high-capacity aircraft and cargo aprons, traffic control tower, and state-of-the-art superstructure that were put into service alongside the runway significantly increased the air traffic capacity of Istanbul's second largest airport, Sabiha Gökçen.
IT SERVED 33 MILLION PEOPLE IN 2023
Recalling that a total of 33 million 716 thousand 162 passengers were served in the first 11 months of 2023 for both domestic and international flights, Uraloğlu highlighted the contribution of the second runway to air traffic, stating: "In the first 11 months of this year, the number of passengers reached 44 million 217 thousand 405, an increase of 31% compared to the same period in 2023 when the second runway had not yet been put into service. Moreover, in just 11 months, we also surpassed the record of 41 million 449 thousand 44 passengers set for the entire year of 2024. In the first 11 months of 2023, 208 thousand 643 aircraft took off and landed. In the same period of 2025, this number increased by 20% to 250 thousand 538. For the entire year of 2024, this number was recorded as 242 thousand 612."