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Istanbul to Iğdır: flight delays and compensation

180,471 passengers travelled between İstanbul Airport (IST) and Iğdır Airport (IGD) in 2024, according to Eurostat. Here is what a delay or cancellation on this route is worth in each direction, which rules apply, and how often the two airports are hit by air traffic restrictions.

By the EU261 Flight Delay editorial team Last reviewed: How we write our guides

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In short: Istanbul–Iğdır is 1,285 km. A 3-hour-plus delay or a late cancellation is worth nothing under EU261/UK261 per passenger from Istanbul and nothing under EU261/UK261 from Iğdır. 180,471 passengers used the route in 2024.

What you can claim on this route

DirectionRulesCovered airlines3 h+ delay / late cancellation
Istanbul → Iğdırnone––
Iğdır → Istanbulnone––

The amount depends only on distance (1,285 km, measured as the great circle between the airports) – not on the ticket price – and is paid per passenger, children included. Whatever the cause, from 2 hours’ delay the airline must provide care (meals, drinks, a hotel overnight), and after a cancellation you choose between a refund or re-routing.

Check your Istanbul–Iğdır flight

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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

Air traffic flow delays at Istanbul (IST)

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.

Other routes from these airports

Frequently asked questions

How much compensation for a delayed Istanbul–Iğdır flight?

The great-circle distance is 1,285 km. From Istanbul: EU261/UK261 do not apply. From Iğdır: EU261/UK261 do not apply. The delay at your final destination must be 3 hours or more, and the airline must not be able to prove extraordinary circumstances.

Is a Istanbul–Iğdır flight covered if the airline is not European?

Departures from an EU or UK airport are covered with any airline. From Istanbul (Turkey) you are covered only on an EU-licensed airline flying into the EU (or a UK/EU airline into the UK). From Iğdır (Turkey) you are covered only on an EU-licensed airline flying into the EU (or a UK/EU airline into the UK).

What if the flight was cancelled?

You can choose a refund or re-routing, get care while you wait, and – unless you were told at least 14 days before departure or the airline proves extraordinary circumstances – fixed compensation. Cancelled flight compensation.

Passenger numbers: Eurostat 2024 (passengers carried between the two airports, both directions). Delay data: EUROCONTROL. Information only, not legal advice.

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
  3. Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 – EUR-Lex

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