Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, International airport in Pendik district, Turkey.
Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport is an international airport in the Pendik district on the Asian side of the city, about 32 kilometers from the historic center. The terminal offers 112 check-in counters, several jet bridges, and a modern baggage handling system serving thousands of daily passengers from Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
The airport opened on January 8, 2001, to handle the growing number of passengers that the older Atatürk airport could no longer manage. Private operators expanded the terminal several times in the following years, turning the site into a major hub for low-cost carriers in the region.
The name honors Sabiha Gökçen, who flew combat missions in the Turkish Air Force and was adopted by the founder of modern Turkey. Her portrait hangs in the arrivals hall, surrounded by photographs documenting her pioneering work in military aviation during the nineteen-thirties.
Metro line M4 connects the terminal to the Asian side of Istanbul, while shuttle buses and taxis cross the bridges to reach the European side. Travelers arriving early in the morning should keep in mind that public transport runs less frequently outside peak hours and journeys may take longer.
In December 2023, a second runway went into operation, allowing the airport to handle up to 80 aircraft movements per hour. This doubling of capacity reduces waiting times for takeoff and makes the site an even more important hub for carriers across the eastern Mediterranean.
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