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Istanbul Airport (IST): flight delays and compensation

Istanbul Airport – annual passengers: 80+ million (2024). Not an EU airport: flights to Istanbul from the EU and flights operated by EU airlines are covered by EU 261/2004. Here is what to expect if your flight was delayed or cancelled here, or you were stranded.

By the EU261 Flight Delay editorial team Last reviewed: Reading time: 6 min How we write our guides

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In short: Flights departing from Istanbul Airport are covered by EU261 only with an EU airline; flights from an EU airport to Istanbul are always covered, and flights from the UK by UK261. Turkish law (SHY-Yolcu) for departures from Istanbul; EU261 or UK261 for flights from the EU or UK.

About the airport

Istanbul Airport, open since 2019, is the hub of Turkish Airlines and one of the largest airports in the world. Europeans use it to connect to Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Pegasus mainly flies from the smaller Sabiha Gökçen airport (SAW).

Not an EU airport: flights departing from Istanbul are covered by EU261 only when an EU airline operates them. A journey such as London–Istanbul–Bangkok on one booking starts in Europe, however, so Turkish Airlines is liable for a missed connection in Istanbul – under UK261 from the UK, under EU261 from the EU.

Busiest routes from Istanbul – and what a delay is worth

The 30 busiest routes on Eurostat’s 2024 data, with the compensation for a 3-hour-plus delay or a late cancellation in each direction.

DestinationPassengers 2024DistanceFrom ISTReturn
Izmir ADB1,899,873358 km––
Antalya AYT1,743,262518 km––
Ankara ESB1,497,202381 km––
London LHR1,281,9252,487 km£350*£350
Paris CDG1,010,4532,212 km€400*€400
Athens ATH981,717553 km€250*€250
Amsterdam AMS866,3712,183 km€400*€400
Frankfurt FRA844,6581,837 km€400*€400
Gaziantep GZT825,761894 km––
Kayseri ASR783,129639 km––
Bodrum BJV777,807457 km––
Milan MXP774,8841,681 km€400*€400
Tymbou (Kirklar) ECN732,855798 km€250*€250
Trabzon TZX692,916926 km––
Rome FCO668,2001,371 km€250*€250
Dalaman DLM657,170507 km––
Berlin BER652,2271,685 km€400*€400
London LGW580,6232,460 km£350*£350
Bucharest OTP561,045424 km€250*€250
Düsseldorf DUS554,6442,010 km€400*€400
Vienna VIE529,8361,223 km€250*€250
Barcelona BCN524,2182,218 km€400*€400
Nevşehir NAV523,328567 km––
Budapest BUD518,1081,016 km€250*€250
Madrid MAD497,6432,701 km€400*€400
Munich MUC496,8271,546 km€400*€400
Belgrade BEG472,280789 km––
Brussels BRU460,1112,140 km€400*€400
Adana COV446,231732 km––
Hamburg HAM443,1191,957 km€400*€400

* only with an EU (or UK) airline. Passengers: Eurostat, both directions, routes reported by EU/EEA airports.

Air traffic flow delays at Istanbul Airport (2025)

EUROCONTROL records the delay imposed on arriving flights when the airport or the airspace around it cannot take more traffic (air traffic flow management, “ATFM”). In 2025, 272,054 flights arrived at IST; 340 of them were held back this way, 268 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 0.05 minutes per arrival.

What caused the ATFM delay

  • weather99%
  • aerodrome capacity2%

Average ATFM delay per arrival by month (min)

  1. J
  2. F
  3. M
  4. A
  5. M
  6. J
  7. J
  8. A
  9. S
  10. O
  11. N
  12. D

Worst days: 27 October 2025 – 7,037 minutes, mostly weather; 1 February 2025 – 2,104 minutes, mostly weather; 30 December 2025 – 1,485 minutes, mostly weather.

2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 204,861 arrivals, 0.06 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (worse than 2025), mainly weather (96%) and aerodrome capacity (4%).

Check what happened at IST on your travel day →

What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (99% here), air traffic control capacity and staffing (0%) or airport limits – causes airlines often cite as extraordinary circumstances. They are only part of the story: most long delays come from the airline’s own operation (technical faults, crew, late inbound aircraft), which this data does not show. Source: EUROCONTROL.

Typical delay causes at Istanbul Airport

  • Missed connections are common in the very large terminal; allow plenty of time when booking separate tickets.
  • Winter snow and fog (as in January 2022, when operations were disrupted for days) – extraordinary circumstances.
  • Flights from Istanbul back to Europe on Turkish Airlines are not covered by EU261 but by the Turkish SHY-Yolcu regulation (€100–600).

Airlines you are likely to fly with here

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What happened?Step 1 of 4

What happened to your flight?
Where did you fly from and to?

With a connection, enter your first departure and your final destination – compensation is based on the total distance.

How late did you arrive at your final destination?

What counts is when the aircraft doors opened at your destination – not the departure delay.

When were you told about the cancellation?
When did you arrive on the replacement flight?
Which airline operated the flight?
When was the flight?

How many passengers were on the booking?

1 passenger

Every passenger gets their own compensation, children too. Infants under 2 without their own seat do not count.

  • Free, no sign-up
  • Fee only if successful (35%)
  • AirHelp: Trustpilot 4.5/5

Rather skip the questions? Start a claim with AirHelp straight away

Local information

  • Outbound from the EU or UK: EU261 or UK261 applies. On the way back: the Turkish rules, which claims agencies such as AirHelp also handle.
  • Turkish Airlines accepts compensation claims through its own online feedback form.

Frequently asked questions

Can I claim compensation for a flight departing from Istanbul Airport?

Only if the flight is operated by an EU airline. With a non-EU airline, EU261 does not apply to departures from Istanbul Airport, but local rules and the Montreal Convention may give you a claim for proven losses.

Can I claim compensation for a flight arriving at Istanbul Airport?

If the flight departed from an EU airport (for example Frankfurt, Madrid or Budapest): yes, under EU261, whatever the airline. If it departed from the UK: yes, under UK261.

How is the length of the delay measured?

By your arrival time at your final destination – more precisely, the moment the aircraft door opens at the gate. It must be at least 3 hours after the scheduled arrival time.

Related guides

Information only, not legal advice. Passenger figures are approximate and based on the airports' published statistics; punctuality figures are from the UK Civil Aviation Authority. We earn a commission when a claim submitted through our partner links is successful.

Sources

  1. Eurostat – air passenger transport routes between partner airports and main airports (2024) – Eurostat
  2. EUROCONTROL – airport arrival ATFM delays (open performance data) – EUROCONTROL

We check every rule against the sources above. Spotted an error? Tell us – see our editorial policy.