A new airport in Istanbul has opened a few years ago. In addition to the fact that it has a sufficient amount of entertainment, and he himself occupies a leading position in the ranking of the most popular airports, he was also able to replace another well-known airport. At the moment, there are two passenger airports in the city: one of them will be discussed below. See below for more information:
International IATA code: IST.
- The telephone number of the airport call center: +90 444 1 442;
- Istanbul Airport Address: Tayakadın District Terminal Street No.1 Arnavutköy / İstanbul;
- The official website of the airport: https://www.istairport.com/en.
Passenger traffic
Passenger traffic at the airport is 200 million a year, which is giant even for the largest airports in the world. Istanbul Airport serves 350 destinations, has 77 telescopes and receives up to 45 simultaneous take-offs and landings. In addition, there is a large passenger terminal and parking for more than 10,000 cars. Buses serve as public transport to different destinations. There are plans to launch an underground in the near future.
Distance from the airport to the Istanbul
The distance from Istanbul’s new airport to the historically prominent squares is about 40 km. As you can see, the new airport is quite close to the historic city center.
How do I get from the airport to the city?
Currently, there are many ways to get to the center of Istanbul directly from the airport. All of them will be discussed below.
Bus transport
One of the easiest ways is by bus. A large number of buses transport people from the new airport to the city every day. The bus stations are located on the -2nd floor of the airport, in the car park directly opposite the exit. There are various private companies providing passenger transport.
HAVAIST is one of them, and it positions itself as a high-end luxury luggage transport company. The interval between buses is about 1 hour and depends on the number of trips.
BURULAŞ-BBBUS is a company providing transportation between the airport and Bursa. It is worth noting that some flights go through the other Sabiha Gokcen Airport. You can find out about the routes and their timetables and book your ticket on the carrier’s website.
IETT is a company that also transports people from the airport to Istanbul. There are 6 routes and the timetable changes from time to time.
You can pay for your trip with Istanbulkart, but even if you don’t have one, there are yellow terminals marked ‘Biletmatik’ nearby where you can buy a ticket. You can pay in cash as well as by card (however, only at the similar blue terminals with a fee).
Taxi
One of the quickest and most comfortable ways to get where you want to go is to book a taxi. Obviously, this will be slightly more expensive than a similar trip by bus. With this method, you can easily get anywhere. The journey from the airport to the city center can take about an hour. The cost varies depending on traffic and congestion, but on average, it is a 250 lira ride to Sultanahmet and around 220 lira to Taksim Square.
You should also be aware that taxi drivers at the airport may quote the price without including the meter. Ask for the meter to be included – it’s cheaper that way. There are also different classes of vehicles available:
- Class E – premium black cars. The price of this car will be the highest – 70% higher than a yellow car.
- Class D – blue luxury cars. Cost is 15% higher than a yellow car.
- Class C – yellow cars. Considered economy class and the most common type of taxi in Istanbul.
The taxi stop is on the second floor of the airport.
Transfer
Most hotels in Istanbul provide a shuttle service. The advantage of the service is that the price is negotiated in advance and the driver will wait for as long as you need. You can also save money by booking a group transfer service and splitting the cost of the trip among several people.
Payment can be made online in advance, saving you the trouble of exchanging currency at an unfavorable exchange rate at the airport.
Car hire
Renting a car is the most comfortable way to travel. You can do so either online in advance or at the airport. Booking in advance is usually better and more convenient because you can compare all the available options and choose the one that suits you best.
Other services at the airport
The airport also offers a wide range of other services to guests. These include a variety of food outlets, car rental services, ATMs, currency exchange offices, smoking areas, ticket offices, lounge areas and much more. Among the services that are sure to grab your attention is free Wi-Fi for an hour. To accomplish this, you need to find one of the relevant machines and scan your boarding pass. Thereafter, you will receive a unique Wi-Fi access code that you can use for an hour. If you have a long wait for your flight, then here you can find great entertainment that will appeal to everyone.