In September, a total of 214,319 aircraft traffic was recorded, comprising 79,872 domestic flights and 87,583 international flights. This reflects a 2.4 percent increase in overall aircraft traffic compared to September 2023.

Uraloğlu revealed that the number of domestic passengers at Turkish airports reached 8,249,505, while international flights welcomed 14,121,637 passengers. The total number of passengers, including transit travelers, amounted to 22,415,821, marking a 1.8 percent rise from the same month last year. Additionally, cargo operations at the airports totaled 478,803 tons in September, with 85,108 tons attributed to domestic flights and 393,695 tons to international flights.

Looking at the broader trends for the first nine months of 2024, the minister reported that airports recorded 687,194 aircraft landings and takeoffs on domestic routes and 669,114 on international routes, resulting in a total of 1,752,501 aircraft movements. This represents a 5.9 percent increase in aircraft traffic compared to the same period in 2023.

Uraloğlu further stated that Turkish airports served 72,949,528 passengers on domestic flights and 104,186,201 on international flights, bringing the total to 177,346,498 passengers, including direct transit passengers. This indicates a growth of 5.7 percent in domestic passenger traffic, 9 percent in international traffic, and an overall increase of 7.5 percent compared to the previous year.

In terms of cargo, the total amount handled from January to September 2024 reached 3,712,255 tons, reflecting an 11.2 percent increase compared to the same period in 2023, with 682,730 tons on domestic routes and 3,029,526 tons on international routes. (ILKHA)