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Atatürk AirportAtatürk Halimanı
IATA: ISLICAO: LTBASummaryAirport typePublicOwnerGeneral Directorate of State Airports (DHMİ)OperatorT AirportsServesIstanbul, TurkeyLocationYeşilköy, Bakırköy, IstanbulOpened1953 (1953) (as airport)[1]Closed5 February 2022 (2022-02-05) (cargo)Passenger services ceased6 April 2019 (2019-04-06)Built1912 (1912) (as airfield)Elevation AMSL163 ft / 50 mCoordinates40°58′34″N 028°48′51″E / 40.97611°N 28.81417°E / 40.97611; 28.81417Websiteataturkairport.com (archived on 8 February 2020)Maps
ISLLocation within IstanbulShow map of Istanbul
ISLISL (Turkey)Show map of Turkey
ISLISL (Europe)Show map of Europe
ISLISL (North Atlantic)Show map of North Atlantic
Interactive map of Atatürk AirportRunways
Direction
Length
Surface
m
ft
05/23
2,580
8,465
Grooved asphalt
Statistics (2019)Total passengers16,112,804[2]International passengers11,876,601Source: Turkish AIP at Eurocontrol Turkey[3]
Atatürk Airport (IATA: ISL, ICAO: LTBA) is a public airport located in Yeşilköy, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Formerly the primary international airport of Istanbul and the hub of Turkish Airlines, it was closed to commercial passenger flights on 6 April 2019. From that point, all commercial scheduled passenger flights were transferred to the new Istanbul Airport.[4][5] Since the move of commercial operations to the new airport, Atatürk Airport is open to general iation and functioning as an executive airport.
History[edit] Growth and development[edit]In 1911, a small apron with two hangars was built in Yeşilköy, Istanbul, for the Ottoman Armed Forces.[6] Mustafa Kemal Atatürk founded Türk Tayyare Cemiyeti (Turkish Aircraft Company, today Türk Ha Kurumu - THK) in 1925. In 1933, today's Turkish Airlines, the Türkiye Devlet Ha Yolları started its flights with two Curtiss Kingbird aircraft. Flights from Istanbul to Ankara and Athens began. The small apron was expanded and a new passenger terminal was built. This is considered the beginning of the airport's 86-year history. It was originally named Yeşilköy Airport. In the 1980s, it was renamed Atatürk International Airport.
It served more than 60 million passengers in 2015, making it the 11th-busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic and the 10th-busiest in the world in terms of international passenger traffic. In 2017, it was Europe's 5th-busiest airport after London–Heathrow, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Frankfurt Airport, and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, hing fallen from third place after a decline in passengers due to security fears.[7]
Closure[edit]Istanbul Atatürk Airport was replaced in regards to commercial passenger functions by the newly constructed Istanbul Airport, in April 2019, in order to meet Istanbul's growing domestic and international air traffic demand as a source, destination, and transit point. Both airports were used in parallel for five months from late 2018, with the new airport gradually expanding to serve more domestic and regional destinations.[8] On 6 April 2019, Atatürk's IST IATA airport code was inherited by Istanbul Airport and Atatürk Airport was assigned the code ISL after the full transfer of all scheduled passenger activities to the new airport was completed.[9] The final commercial flight, Turkish Airlines Flight 54, left Atatürk Airport on 6 April 2019 at 02:44 for Singapore.[10]
On 5 February 2022, Turkish Cargo relocated all cargo flights and operations from their former hub at the airport to the new Istanbul Airport.[11][12]
Atatürk Airport National Garden[edit] Further information: Atatürk Airport National GardenTurkey's government announced its plans to construct a giant park on the grounds of the former Istanbul Atatürk Airport (whose operations were transferred to the new Istanbul Airport) in 2019.[13] The park, Atatürk Airport National Garden [tr], is part of a larger urban transformation plan that seeks to correct some of the haphazard urban planning that characterised most major Turkish cities since the 1970s.[14] Due to the little space ailable to construct or expand green spaces, new parks are often constructed on spots formerly occupied by factories or other major facilities.
The Atatürk Airport National Garden was to be constructed on and around one of the two runways of Atatürk Airport.[15] These runways were already rendered unusable after they were chosen as the site for Istanbul's pandemic hospital in early 2020.[16] More than 132,500 trees are to be planted in place of the asphalt runway and taxiways that will also help to keep the city cooler.[13] The other runway was set to remain in use for select cargo and private jet flights, iation fairs (such as Teknofest) and for use by the Turkish Air Force (which still maintains a small training base and the Istanbul Aviation Museum here).[citation needed]
The leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP) Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu called the proposed construction of the park "treason" and threatened to hold those responsible to account.[17]
Construction commenced in 2022.[18] First areas of the park were opened to the public in 2023.[19] In 2024, the Council of State cancelled the construction tender, following a lawsuit filed by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.[18][20] The park officially opened to the public on 1 November 2025.[21]
Facilities[edit]
The original terminal at Yeşilköy in 1970
The former main terminal, inaugurated in 1983, which then served as the domestic section until 2019
The now defunct main passenger terminal in 2013
Former passenger terminals[edit]
Istanbul Atatürk Airport featured two passenger terminals linked to each other.[22] The former domestic terminal is the older and smaller of the two terminals and exclusively handled domestic flights within Turkey. It featured its own check-in and airside facilities on the upper floor, with twelve departure gates equipped with jet bridges[22] and five baggage claim belts on the ground level.[22] The former international terminal was inaugurated in 2000 and used for all international flights. It featured a large main hall containing 8 check-in aisles and a wide range of airside facilities such as shops and restaurants, 34 gates equipped with jet bridges, and 7 bus-boarding stands. The arrivals floor had 11 baggage claim belts.[22] In addition, there is a general iation terminal to the northwest of the passenger terminals.[23]
Former cargo terminal[edit]The airport featured a dedicated cargo terminal including facilities for the handling of radioactive and refrigerated freight.[24]
Other facilities[edit] Turkish Airlines has its headquarters in the Turkish Airlines General Management Building, located within the airport campus.[25][26] Prima Aviation Services Inc. has its MRO facilities in new technical site at the air side Gate A.[27] A metro station on the M1A line served the airport from its opening on 20 December 2002. In May 2020, the Yeşilköy Prof. Dr. Murat Dilmener Emergency Hospital using the former site of the 35L/35R runways were opened in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey. Current operations[edit]As of April 2019, all passenger operations he been relocated to the new Istanbul Airport. As of February 2022, all cargo operations he been relocated to the new airport as well.[28][citation needed] Currently, the airport serves only private and business jets as well as operations on behalf of the Government of Turkey.[citation needed]
Statistics[edit]Istanbul Atatürk Airport ranked 17th in ACI statistics at the end of 2011 in terms of international traffic with almost 24 million international passengers. It ranked 29th in the world in terms of total passenger traffic with over 37.4 million passengers in 2011. Its total traffic within the last decade more than tripled, and its international traffic quadrupled.[29][30] Passenger statistics for Istanbul Atatürk Airport for the years 2002–2019 are below.[31]
PassengersYear10,000,00015,000,00020,000,00025,000,00030,000,00035,000,000100015002000250030003500PassengersAnnual passenger traffic Passenger statistics at Istanbul Atatürk Airport[31] Year Domestic passengers Passenger% change International passenger Passenger% change Total passenger Passenger% change World rank international World rank total 2019 4,236,203
78
11,876,601
76
16,112,804
76
2018
19,216,523
2
49,130,261
10
68,346,784
7
10th
16th
2017
19,629,425
3
44,476,589
8
64,106,014
6
11th
15th
2016
19,133,533
1
41,281,937
2
60,415,470
1
11th
14th
2015
19,333,873
4
41,998,251
10
61,332,124
8
10th
11th
2014
18,542,295
8
38,152,871
12
56,695,166
11
9th
13th
2013
17,218,672
13
34,079,118
14
51,297,790
14
10th
18th
2012
15,279,655
14
29,812,307
24
45,091,962
21
13th
20th
2011
13,421,536
14
23,973,158
18
37,394,694
16
17th
30th
2010
11,800,833
3
20,342,986
11
32,143,819
8
19th
37th
2009
11,416,838
1
18,396,050
8
29,812,888
4
39th
2008
11,484,063
20
17,069,069
26
28,553,132
23
42th
2007
9,595,923
6
13,600,306
12
23,196,229
9
45th
2006
9,091,693
21
12,174,281
3
21,265,974
10
47th
2005
7,512,282
39
11,781,487
16
19,293,769
24
2004
5,430,925
70
10,169,676
14
15,600,601
29
2003
3,196,045
12
8,908,268
5
12,104,342
7
2002
2,851,487
8,506,204
11,357,691
Annual aircraft operations[32]
Year
Aircraft operations
2007
262,248
2008
276,148
2009
283,953
2010
288,246
2011
325,209
2012
364,322
2013
406,317
2014
439,532
2015
464,774
2016
466,396
2017
460,785
2018
464,646
2019
138,279
2020
37,468
2021
41,032
2022
28,272
2023
25,205
2024
28,230
Accidents and incidents[edit]
On 30 January 1975, Turkish Airlines Flight 345, crashed into the Sea of Marmara during its final approach to the airport. All 42 passengers and crew on board were killed.[33]
On 25 April 2015, Turkish Airlines Flight 1878, operated by an A320-200, TC-JPE was severely damaged in a landing accident. The aircraft aborted the first hard landing, which inflicted engine and gear damage. On the second attempt at landing, the right gear collapsed and the aircraft rolled off the runway spinning 180 degrees. All 97 passengers and 5 crew members survived with no injuries. The aircraft was written off as a result of the accident.[34]
On 28 June 2016, three terrorists killed 44 civilians by gunfire and subsequent suicide bombings, along with 239 civilians injured.[35][36] The three men arrived in a taxi cab and opened fire at the terminal. The three men then blew themselves up when police opened fire. The airport has X-ray scanners at the entrance to the terminal but security checks for cars are limited.[35][37]
On 15 July 2016, the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt took place. During the attempted coup, units of the Turkish Armed Forces seized control of the airport and closed it, but it was reopened after pro-government forces regained control.[38][39][40]
Accolades[edit]
The Turkish Chamber of Civil Engineers lists İstanbul Atatürk Airport as one of the fifty civil engineering feats in Turkey, a list of remarkable engineering projects completed in the first 50 years of the chamber's existence.[41]
In the 2013 Air Transport News awards ceremony, İstanbul Atatürk Airport was named Airport of the Year.[42]
The airport was named Europe's Best Airport in the 40–50 million passenger per year category at the 2013 Skytrax World Airport Awards.[43]
See also[edit]
List of the busiest airports in Turkey
List of the busiest airports in Europe
List of the busiest airports in Europe (2010–2015)
References[edit]
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
^ "Atatürk Halimanı" (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 8 April 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
^ "YOLCU TRAFİĞİ" (PDF).
^ "LTBA – Istanbul / Atatürk / International". AIP Turkey. Ankara: DHMİ Genel Müdürlüğü. 5 January 2018. part AD 2 LTBA. Archived from the original on 11 June 2003. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
^ "Turkish Airlines aims to spread its wings at Istanbul's giant new airport". Reuters. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
^ "Full transfer of flights from Ataturk to new Istanbul hub begins". Flight Global. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
^ "EUROCONTROL - the European AIS Database: Introduction to EAD Basic - Home". Retrieved 29 January 2019.
^ "'Full' Heathrow Extends European Hub Lead as Terror Hurts Rivals". Bloomberg Business. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
^ Kucukgocmen, Ali (29 October 2018). "Erdogan opens new 'Istanbul Airport', Turkey's biggest". Reuters.
^ "Istanbul New Airport to affect entire European airspace". Daily Sabah. 19 February 2018.
^ "Last flight lees Ataturk as Istanbul switches airports". Reuters. 6 April 2019.
^ aircargoworld.com - Turkish Cargo completes transition to new Istanbul Airport 8 February 2022
^ "Turkish Cargo bids farewell to Atatürk Airport, shifts to new hub". Daily Sabah. 8 February 2022.
^ a b "Ataturk Airport from a Global Airport to a Beach Park | CCT Investments". Retrieved 19 March 2023.
^ SABAH, DAILY (5 June 2020). "10 new parks open as Turkey seeks to make cities greener". Daily Sabah. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
^ "Discovery Istanbul: The green city". www.petitfute.co.uk. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
^ Oryx. "Atatürk Airport National Garden - The Green Lung Of Istanbul". Oryx. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
^ Sabah, Daily (17 May 2022). "Istanbul's old airport set to get green makeover amid opposition". Daily Sabah. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
^ a b "Top court rules against construction of 'nation's garden' at İstanbul's former airport after its demolition". Turkish Minute. 12 February 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
^ "Atatürk Halimanı Millet Bahçesi'nin ilk etabı açıldı". Anadolu Agency (in Turkish). 6 May 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
^ "Turkish State Council cancels Urbanization Ministry's nation garden project for Atatürk Airport". Duvar English. 12 February 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
^ DİNÇ, Ece İrem (7 November 2025). "Atatürk Airport Nation's Garden Opens Its Doors". Tourism Explorer. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
^ a b c d "Terminal Map". Ataturkairport.com. Archived from the original on 23 November 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
^ "General Aviation Terminal". Ataturekairport.com. Archived from the original on 25 July 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
^ "Cargo Terminal". Ataturekairport.com. Archived from the original on 30 June 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
^ "Contact Us." Turkish Airlines. Retrieved on 26 June 2010.
^ "Map." Turkish Airlines. Retrieved on 26 June 2010. Archived 11 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
^ "Communication".[permanent dead link] Prima Aviation Services Inc. Retrieved 8 June 2014. Map. "Head Office YESILKOY MAH. HAALANI CAD. ATATURK HALIMANI NO:2/12-1 ZIP: 34149 BAKIRKOY / ISTANBUL"
^ "Atatürk Halimanı'nda kargo uçuşları sona erdi. (in Turkish)". Retrieved 9 February 2022.
^ "ACI Europe 2007 Final Rankings". ACI-Europe.org. Retrieved 30 September 2017.[permanent dead link]
^ "International Passenger Traffic Monthly Ranking: Aug 2008". Airports Council International. 12 November 2008. Archived from the original on 1 January 2009.
^ a b "Devlet Ha Meydanları İşletmesi Genel Müdürlüğü". Dhmi.gov.tr. Archived from the original on 15 September 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
^ "Air Traffic Report". Turkish Airport Authority.
^ "Aircraft accident Fokker F-28 Fellowship 1000 TC-JAP Istanbul-Yeşilköy Airport (IST) [Marmara Sea]". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
^ Hradecky, Simon. "Accident: THY A320 at Istanbul on Apr 25th 2015, hard landing, go-around, engine problem, gear problem, gear collapse, runway excursion". Aviation Herald. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
^ a b "Istanbul Ataturk airport attack: 41 dead and more than 230 hurt - BBC News". BBC News. 29 June 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
^ Sabrina Ternise; Ceylan Yeginsu (28 June 2016). "Attack at Istanbul Airport Lees at Least 31 Dead". New York Times. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
^ "Blast and gunfire 'at Istanbul airport'". BBC News. 28 June 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
^ "Turkey coup: How mobiles beat tanks and sed Erdogan". BBC News. 18 July 2016.
^ Coskun, Humeyra Pamuk (18 July 2016). "At height of Turkish coup bid, rebel jets had Erdogan's plane in their sights". Reuters.
^ "TRT'de bildiri okuttular". 16 July 2016.
^ "50 yılda 50 eser - HHPortal". Hhportal.com. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
^ "Air Transport News". Atn.aero. 18 March 2013. Archived from the original on 22 March 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
^ "World's Best Airports by Passenger Numbers | 2013". Worldairportawards.com. Archived from the original on 23 April 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
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