Airports in Istanbul and the Mediterranean hot spot Antalya served a record number of passengers and flights in what industry officials described as one of the most vibrant Qurban Bayram, also known as Eid al-Adha, holidays in the last decade, reflecting the continued momentum of Türkiye’s tourism sector.
Renowned for its pristine beaches and historical sites, Antalya has welcomed over 5 million tourists from January through the last day of the holiday that ended on Sunday, according to Kaan Kavaloğlu, president of the Mediterranean Tourism Hoteliers and Operators Association (AKTOB).
That marks a 15% increase from a year ago and does not include local tourists who also flocked to the southern province, where hotel occupancy rates reached close to 100% throughout the nine-day break.
The scale of the surge was echoed by Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, who said Antalya Airport handled a total of 199,751 passengers and 1,175 aircraft on June 22 alone.
Kavaloğlu emphasized that Antalya successfully handled the start of the peak season and that Türkiye is on track to achieve its tourism targets.
The Mediterranean province welcomed a record of nearly 15.7 million tourists throughout 2023, a figure Kavaloğlu said is expected to exceed 17 million this year.
"We are confident we can reach 18 million with the help of transit passengers and Turks living in Europe," he noted.
Overall, foreign arrivals in Türkiye hit a record 49.2 million in 2023, driven by visitors from Russia and Europe, mainly Germany and the United Kingdom. Tourism income climbed to an all-time high of $54.32 billion, compared to $46.48 billion in 2022.
The government expects arrivals to reach 60 million this year, while the income is envisaged to rise to $60 billion.
Alongside Turks living in Europe, who opted to return to Türkiye for the holiday, Germans remained the largest group of tourists visiting Antalya despite the European Football Championship that is being hosted by their country and the collapse of the major tour operator FTI, according to Kavaloğlu.
In Türkiye's metropolis, the country's second-biggest airport achieved its best passenger and flight figures ever during the nine-day holiday.
Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (ISG) handled around 1.25 million passengers and 7,018 flights from June 14 through June 23, its operator said on Monday. That included 132,550 passengers and 725 flights on June 23 alone, marking its busiest day ever.
ISG CEO Alp Er Tunga Ersoy praised the airport’s preparations for handling the surge.
"With the onset of the holiday and the school summer break, we have entered the peak tourism season. Thanks to the extensive pre-planning and improvements at the airport, our passengers enjoyed a smooth travel experience," Ersoy said.
In 2023, Sabiha Gökçen served a record 37.1 million passengers. With a 13.2% increase, it ranks second in passenger traffic growth among the "mega airports," a category of civil aviation hubs handling between 25 and 40 million passengers annually, according to the Airports Council International Europe (ACI EUROPE).
The airport inaugurated its second runway in December, which is expected to double its capacity. Since the beginning of 2024, the airport further expanded its network by launching flights to nine new international routes.
Among the fastest-growing airports in Europe, Sabiha Gökçen serves 164 destinations, including 124 international and 40 domestic routes, with a capacity of 41 million passengers.