IST · Istanbul, Turkey
İstanbul Airport.
--:--:-- · TRT (UTC+03:00) · 41.2749° N, 28.7321° E
Istanbul Airport
Largest airport serving Istanbul, Turkey
Verification trail
Source-backed facts for IST
This section separates stable airport identifiers from live operating data. Codes, coordinates, timezone, elevation, source identifiers, and accepted reference links are retained here; live arrivals, departures, gates, delays, NOTAMs, and airline schedule changes must still be checked with the airport or carrier.
Airport catalog
OurAirports ID 317457; ident LTFM; scheduled service listed.
Cached airports.csv snapshot: 2026-04-25; runways.csv snapshot: 2026-05-21.
Official airport source
istairport.com
Used as the preferred live-reference handoff for terminals, gates, alerts, and airport notices.
Open sourceReference summary
Istanbul Airport
Airport-shaped reference summary from en.wikipedia.org; summary snapshot 2026-05-20.
Open sourceManual / derived signals
23 source-backed signals
Merged from OurAirports cached airports.csv, OurAirports cached runways.csv, Wikidata airport entity snapshot, airport-shaped Wikipedia summary snapshot, manual airport facts override; facts generated 2026-05-21.
IATA / ICAO
IST / LTFM
OurAirports ident
LTFM
GPS / local code
LTFM
ISO region
TR-34
Scheduled service
Listed in source snapshot
Role
large scheduled-service airport
Official host
istairport.com
Reference host
en.wikipedia.org
Wikidata entity
Q3661908
Snapshot generated
2026-05-21
Airport lookup keys
Stable codes
Regional keys
Alternate names
Nearby airport codes
Route reference codes
Accepted citation URLs
Last updated May 21, 2026. Stable airport identifiers and timezone facts are content-reviewed; clocks render live in the browser, while weather and time-difference notes are page-snapshot aids rather than permanent airport records.
Live values rendered at Nov 5, 7:08 PM UTC.
What you need to know now
Local airport time
--:--:--TRT · UTC+03:00
Time zone
TRT
Europe/Istanbul · UTC+03:00
Airfield conditions
Live airport weather is temporarily unavailable.
Surface access
34 km
Approximate distance to central Istanbul.
Airport Snapshot
Country capital
Ankara
Languages
Turkish
Currency
TRY (₺)
Country area
783,562 km²
Passenger volume
Source note unavailable
Terminals
1 main passenger terminal
Runways
5 runways
Longest runway
13,451 ft / 4,100 m
Runway surface
asphalt (4), concrete
Opened / operator
2018 · IGA Airport Operations
Owner / entity
General Directorate of State Airports (Turkey)
Hub airlines
Turkish Airlines
Airport role
large scheduled-service airport
Scheduled service
Listed
Fact coverage
23 source-backed signals
İstanbul Airport is a large scheduled-service airport for Istanbul, Turkey. Istanbul's built-up core sits roughly 34 km from the terminal area. Operations run on Europe/Istanbul (UTC+03:00, TRT). Live weather is temporarily unavailable. With 3 other indexable airports in its surrounding network, it works well as a reference point for regional flight planning and timezone checks.
İstanbul Airport (IST / LTFM) is at 41.2749° N, 28.7321° E, elevation 325 ft (99 m), serving Istanbul, Turkey.
The accepted reference summary is used as supporting context for the airport identity and operating notes; the timed facts here still come from the airport catalog, timezone database, country snapshot, and linked source trail.
Istanbul is in Turkey (capital Ankara); on Europe/Istanbul (TRT, UTC+03:00); working languages: Turkish; currency: TRY (₺).
Distance from central Istanbul: 34 km.
Airport context brief
A compact traveler-facing brief from the airport catalog, country snapshot, route geometry, city anchors, peer airports, and source trail for IST.
Name and identity cues
Primary airport name
İstanbul Airport (IST / LTFM)
Istanbul Airport · Largest airport serving Istanbul, Turkey
Known label 1
Arnavutköy
Alternate airport-name cue retained for IST, not a separate indexable duplicate page.
Source identifiers
LTFM · LTFM · TR-34
istairport.com · en.wikipedia.org · scheduled service yes
Source-specific airport notes
Regional role cue
It is the largest airport in Turkey, the largest privately-owned airport operation in the world, and the second busiest airport in Europe.
Accepted from the airport reference trail as a role-specific cue for IST; not treated as a live service guarantee.
Closest mapped city anchors
1. Arnavutköy
arnavutkoey · 10 km from IST
Turkey · Europe/Istanbul · +0h · population 198,165 · city coordinates 41.1835, 28.7402
2. Başakşehir
basaksehir · 19 km from IST
Turkey · Europe/Istanbul · +0h · population 193,750 · city coordinates 41.1060, 28.7910
3. Sultangazi
sultangazi · 22 km from IST
Turkey · Europe/Istanbul · +0h · population 436,935 · city coordinates 41.1065, 28.8685
4. Zekeriya
zekeriya · 26 km from IST
Turkey · Europe/Istanbul · +0h · population 22,558 · city coordinates 41.1981, 29.0303
5. Çatalca
catalca · 27 km from IST
Turkey · Europe/Istanbul · +0h · population 19,316 · city coordinates 41.1407, 28.4597
6. Esenyurt
esenyurt · 28 km from IST
Turkey · Europe/Istanbul · +0h · population 211,330 · city coordinates 41.0270, 28.6773
Airport alternatives in the retained graph
1. ISL LTBA
İstanbul Atatürk Airport · Istanbul(Bakırköy)
35 km from IST · Europe/Istanbul · +0h · elevation 163 ft (50 m) · airport coordinates 40.9719, 28.8237
2. SAW LTFJ
Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport · Pendik, Istanbul
64 km from IST · Europe/Istanbul · +0h · elevation 312 ft (95 m) · airport coordinates 40.8986, 29.3092
3. ADB LTBJ
Adnan Menderes International Airport · Gaziemir
358 km from IST · Europe/Istanbul · +0h · elevation 412 ft (126 m) · airport coordinates 38.2924, 27.1570
Route-time reference set
1. IST-SAW
Pendik, Istanbul · 64 km · 55m
Europe/Istanbul · +0h from IST; reference route only, not a live schedule.
2. IST-ADB
Gaziemir · 358 km · 1h 17m
Europe/Istanbul · +0h from IST; reference route only, not a live schedule.
Runway source evidence
Published runway count
5 runways
Longest runway 13,451 ft / 4,100 m. 5 lighted runways in the runway snapshot.
Runway surface mix
asphalt (4), concrete
Surface labels are normalized from the OurAirports runway rows for IST.
Runway identifiers
16L/34R · 16R/34L · 17L/35R · 17R/35L · 18/36
Identifier pairs are retained as airport-specific runway cues, not live operational availability claims.
Same-country airport context
1. ISL LTBA
İstanbul Atatürk Airport · Istanbul(Bakırköy) · 35 km from IST
large airport · Europe/Istanbul · turkey · 163 ft (50 m) · 40.9719, 28.8237
2. SAW LTFJ
Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport · Pendik, Istanbul · 64 km from IST
large airport · Europe/Istanbul · turkey · 312 ft (95 m) · 40.8986, 29.3092
3. ADB LTBJ
Adnan Menderes International Airport · Gaziemir · 358 km from IST
large airport · Europe/Istanbul · turkey · 412 ft (126 m) · 38.2924, 27.1570
4. ESB LTAC
Esenboğa International Airport · Ankara · 381 km from IST
large airport · Europe/Istanbul · turkey · 3,125 ft (952 m) · 40.1281, 32.9951
5. NAV LTAZ
Nevşehir Kapadokya Airport · Nevşehir · 567 km from IST
large airport · Europe/Istanbul · turkey · 3,100 ft (945 m) · 38.7719, 34.5345
6. ASR LTAU
Kayseri Erkilet International Airport · Kayseri · 639 km from IST
large airport · Europe/Istanbul · turkey · 3,463 ft (1,056 m) · 38.7704, 35.4954
Accepted operational notes
Source note 1
Istanbul Airport is the principal international airport serving Istanbul.
Retained as a source-backed local role note for IST.
Source note 2
The airport was built as a large single-terminal hub with multiple independent runways.
Retained as a source-backed local role note for IST.
Source note 3
It is the largest airport in Turkey, the largest privately-owned airport operation in the world, and the second busiest airport in Europe.
Retained as a source-backed local role note for IST.
Country and authority
IST sits in Turkey (Republic of Turkey), whose capital is Ankara. No specific civil-aviation authority label is attached in the current map, so this page avoids inventing one. Country context: Asia, Western Asia.
Traveler context
Common country-language signals: Turkish. Currency context: TRY (₺). IST is listed with scheduled service in the airport source snapshot.
Names and local labels
IST is also associated in the airport facts snapshot with Arnavutköy. These labels help catch alternate airport names without creating separate duplicate airport pages.
Reference description
Largest airport serving Istanbul, Turkey. This description is used only as identity context; live flight status, terminal assignment, and airport alerts still belong to the official airport or airline source.
Source-specific cues
Regional role cue: It is the largest airport in Turkey, the largest privately-owned airport operation in the world, and the second busiest airport in Europe.
Entity fingerprint
Wikidata airport entity: Q3661908 · Istanbul Airport. Owner / owning body: General Directorate of State Airports (Turkey). Administrative area: Arnavutköy. Named after: Istanbul
Field and clock profile
İstanbul Airport is a low-elevation field at 325 ft (99 m), positioned at 41.2749° N, 28.7321° E in the Northern mid-latitudes. The runway snapshot lists 5 runways and a longest runway of 13,451 ft / 4,100 m. The airport clock uses Europe/Istanbul (TRT, UTC+03:00), so cross-date arrivals should be checked against this zone rather than the airline origin city.
City and airport alternatives
Arnavutköy is the closest retained city-time anchor at 10 km. ISL Istanbul(Bakırköy) is the closest retained airport alternative at 35 km.
Country airport peers
IST is compared with ISL Istanbul(Bakırköy) at 35 km, SAW Pendik, Istanbul at 64 km, ADB Gaziemir at 358 km, ESB Ankara at 381 km, NAV Nevşehir at 567 km inside the retained Turkey airport set, which is useful when backup airports share the same country context but differ by city, route network, and clock behavior.
Route geometry
IST-SAW Pendik, Istanbul: 64 km, about 55m, +0h. IST-ADB Gaziemir: 358 km, about 1h 17m, +0h. These are distance and timezone references, not live flight availability claims.
Source trail
OurAirports ident LTFM backs the stable code, coordinate, elevation, and timezone record. istairport.com is attached as the official airport website. en.wikipedia.org is used only as supporting reference context. Snapshot date: 2026-05-21.
Operational Profile
Traffic profile
Reference airport
Airline role
Turkish Airlines
Terminal footprint
1 main passenger terminal
Runway footprint
5 runways · longest 13,451 ft / 4,100 m
Runway identifiers
16L/34R, 16R/34L, 17L/35R, 17R/35L
OurAirports classifies IST as a large airport with scheduled service, which gives it stronger planning value than a code-only lookup.
IST (LTFM) is a low-elevation field at 325 ft (99 m) in the mid-latitudes, kept in the curated set for its route, timezone, and market-planning value.
IST also has a clear airline-network role: the source summary describes it as turkey's primary long-haul hub and the main base for turkish airlines..
IST's runway record lists 5 runways, with the longest runway at 13,451 ft / 4,100 m and source surfaces recorded as asphalt (4), concrete.
IGA Airport Operations is the clearest operator or management signal we currently have on file for IST.
- Istanbul Airport is the principal international airport serving Istanbul.
- The airport was built as a large single-terminal hub with multiple independent runways.
- It is the largest airport in Turkey, the largest privately-owned airport operation in the world, and the second busiest airport in Europe.
These operational notes prefer the structured airport facts snapshot, then fall back to the accepted airport reference at istairport.com, then blend that with local timezone, route, and city-access data already on this page.
Decision matrix for IST
These are the specific situations where this airport page earns its keep: time-zone conversion, city transfer planning, nearby airport backup logic, and source-confidence checks before acting.
When the clock matters
IST uses Europe/Istanbul (TRT, UTC+03:00). Use this before overnight arrivals, cross-date departures, and same-day connections.
When surface access matters
İstanbul Airport is about 34 km from central Istanbul; build that transfer into arrival and check-in planning.
When alternates matter
ISL Istanbul(Bakırköy) is the closest retained alternate at 35 km, time difference +0h.
When source checks matter
istairport.com is listed as the official airport website in the airport facts snapshot; live schedules, gates, routes, terminals, and NOTAM-sensitive operations still need official airport or airline verification.
How this airport compares nearby
These comparisons place IST inside the retained airport graph by country, timezone, elevation, and coordinate neighbors. They are deterministic dataset facts, not generated flight claims.
Country-rank position
IST ranks #8 in the curated Turkey airport set when large airports are listed before medium airports, then sorted by IATA code. The retained country set has 10 airports.
Same-zone airport cohort
IST shares Europe/Istanbul with ADA Seyhan TR · ADB Gaziemir TR · ASR Kayseri TR · COV Tarsus TR · ESB Ankara TR · GZT Gaziantep TR. This helps separate same-clock airports by city, country, code, and geography.
Elevation-neighbor cohort
IST is 325 ft (99 m). Closest elevation peers in the retained airport set include BES 325 ft (99 m) (0 ft delta) · BHX 327 ft (100 m) (2 ft delta) · CAI 322 ft (98 m) (3 ft delta) · BEG 335 ft (102 m) (10 ft delta) · FAT 336 ft (102 m) (11 ft delta).
Coordinate-neighbor check
IST's nearest retained coordinate neighbors are ISL 35 km +0h · SAW 64 km +0h · ADB 358 km +0h.
Flight Path Arc
Great-circle route between airports with animated plane. Pick a route.
Arriving From / Departing To
| Destination | Route code | Distance | Estimated window | Time difference | Destination clock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pendik, Istanbul | SAW | 64 km | 55m | +0h | --:--:-- |
| Gaziemir | ADB | 358 km | 1h 17m | +0h | --:--:-- |
IST to SAW
Pendik, Istanbul
Distance 64 km; estimated travel window 55m; destination zone Europe/Istanbul is +0h from IST. Use the live destination clock on this page as a cross-timezone planning cue, not as a live flight schedule.
IST to ADB
Gaziemir
Distance 358 km; estimated travel window 1h 17m; destination zone Europe/Istanbul is +0h from IST. Use the live destination clock on this page as a cross-timezone planning cue, not as a live flight schedule.
Airport Details
Timezone
Ground Transport and Nearby Context
The airport sits in the normal outer-ring range for a major metro gateway, so rail, shuttle coach, and ride-hail all matter when you judge the fastest arrival.
Istanbul is the nearest mapped city anchor in the current dataset, which makes it the cleanest companion page when travelers want to switch from airport timing into local city timing.
İstanbul Airport has 3 nearby indexed airport alternatives, which makes backup departures and diversion logic part of real planning instead of a theoretical edge case.
Nearby city time anchors
Airport pages are most useful when they bridge into real city clocks. These city anchors are ranked by distance from IST, then shown with their own timezone, local time, and time difference from the airport clock.
Arnavutköy
arnavutkoey · 10 km · Europe/Istanbul
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Başakşehir
basaksehir · 19 km · Europe/Istanbul
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Sultangazi
sultangazi · 22 km · Europe/Istanbul
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Zekeriya
zekeriya · 26 km · Europe/Istanbul
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Çatalca
catalca · 27 km · Europe/Istanbul
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Esenyurt
esenyurt · 28 km · Europe/Istanbul
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Bağcılar
bagcilar · 28 km · Europe/Istanbul
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Esenler
esenler · 28 km · Europe/Istanbul
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Tarabya
tarabya · 31 km · Europe/Istanbul
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Büyükçekmece
bueyuekcekmece · 31 km · Europe/Istanbul
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Tepecik
tepecik · 31 km · Europe/Istanbul
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Merter Keresteciler
merter-keresteciler · 32 km · Europe/Istanbul
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Airlines and Network Role
İstanbul Airport is associated in the current source trail with Turkish Airlines, which makes carrier-specific schedule checks especially important before acting on a route plan.
The route timing references show the first cross-timezone planning burden after this airport: Pendik, Istanbul (SAW), Gaziemir (ADB). Treat them as distance and clock cues, then verify flight availability with the carrier.
Turkey's primary long-haul hub and the main base for Turkish Airlines..
Planning checkpoints
- Traffic signal: not clearly stated in the source trail.
- Terminal footprint: 1 main passenger terminal.
- Runway footprint: 5 runways; longest runway 13,451 ft / 4,100 m; identifiers 16L/34R, 16R/34L, 17L/35R.
- Runway surfaces: asphalt (4), concrete; 5 lighted runways in the source snapshot.
- Operator / management: IGA Airport Operations.
- Opened / inaugurated: 2018.
- Network role: Turkish Airlines.
Nearby Airports
Nearby airports are ranked by coordinate distance from IST. The time difference column is computed from IANA zones against the page snapshot, while the local clocks update in the browser.
İstanbul Atatürk AirportISL
Istanbul(Bakırköy) · large airport
- Distance
- 35 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- +0h
- Elevation
- 163 ft (50 m)
Compare against ISL when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International AirportSAW
Pendik, Istanbul · large airport
- Distance
- 64 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- +0h
- Elevation
- 312 ft (95 m)
Compare against SAW when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
Adnan Menderes International AirportADB
Gaziemir · large airport
- Distance
- 358 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- +0h
- Elevation
- 412 ft (126 m)
Compare against ADB when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
Companion Planning Tools
Questions
FAQ
What timezone is İstanbul Airport (IST) in?▾
İstanbul Airport is in the Europe/Istanbul timezone (UTC+03:00, TRT).
What are the codes for İstanbul Airport?▾
İstanbul Airport uses IATA code IST and ICAO code LTFM.
Where is İstanbul Airport located?▾
İstanbul Airport is located in Istanbul, Turkey at coordinates 41.2749° N, 28.7321° E, with an elevation of 325 ft (99 m) (low-elevation field in the mid-latitudes).
How far is İstanbul Airport from central Istanbul?▾
İstanbul Airport sits roughly 34 km from the nearest mapped city center for Istanbul.
Which route reference is most useful from IST?▾
Pendik, Istanbul (SAW) is one of the closest route references on this page, with an estimated travel window of 55m, destination timezone Europe/Istanbul, and a +0h difference from IST.
What other airports in Turkey are close peers to IST?▾
IST's curated peers in Turkey on this site include ISL Istanbul(Bakırköy), SAW Pendik, Istanbul, ADB Gaziemir, plus 3 more.
How many runways does İstanbul Airport have?▾
İstanbul Airport's source-backed operational summary lists 5 runways, with the longest runway recorded at 13,451 ft / 4,100 m; identifiers include 16L/34R, 16R/34L, 17L/35R.