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Data source: OurAirports (2026-09-01 Snapshot) · Methodology & Verification →

İstanbul Airport

Compiled by Bill Gao

Istanbul, İstanbul Province (Turkey)

IATA: IST ICAO: LTFM

Longest Active Runway

13,451 ft

4,100 meters

Field Elevation

325 ft

99 m MSL

Runway Inventory

6 active

Lighted / Paved

Coordinates & Class

41.2749°, 28.7321°

LARGE AIRPORT

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Multi-Universe Rankings & Statistical Standing

How ranks work →

RunwayFacts Published Dataset

#40 of 650

In curated primary commercial index

Global Commercial Universe

#72 of 7558

Top 0.9% percentile worldwide

National Standing (Turkey)

#1 of 9 in TR

#1 of 66 in full national registry

vs Large Airport Median

+34.5%

Compared to 10,000 ft baseline

💡 IST in numbers: 13,451 ft longest runway · #40 of 650 published · #72 of 7,558 worldwide (top 0.9%) · #1 in Turkey.

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Editorial Aerodrome Deep Dive: İstanbul Airport (IST)

Curated Aerodrome Profile

Istanbul Airport was conceived as a mega-hub bridging Europe, Asia, and Africa. Its six operational runways (including the 9,250 ft crosswind strip 09/27) allow multiple independent simultaneous departures and arrivals across distinct vector quadrants, drastically cutting airborne holding times compared to the retired Atatürk Airport. Runway 17L/35R extends to 13,451 ft, providing abundant safety margins for heavily laden cargo and passenger widebody operations navigating high Black Sea seasonal gust dynamics.

Runway Layout & Magnetic Alignments

Six active runways comprising five north-south parallels (16L/34R, 16R/34L, 17L/35R, 17R/35L, 18/36) and one east-west crosswind strip 09/27 (9,250 ft / 2,819 m).

Expansion Milestones & Predecessor Facilities

Opened in April 2019 following an immense multi-billion euro greenfield construction north of Istanbul along the Black Sea, replacing historical Atatürk Airport (ISL/LTBA) as the primary hub of Turkish Airlines.

Regional Differentiation & Cluster Role

Constructed outside urban sprawl to bypass the tight slot caps and single-runway dependencies of Sabiha Gökçen (SAW, 33 NM southeast on the Asian side).

Data Nuances & Operational Quirks

Northern coastal exposure to Black Sea cold fronts generates heavy winter snowfalls and low-level crosswind turbulence, countered by extensive de-icing pads and CAT IIIb instrument guidance.

📚 Official Aerodrome Sourcing: Directorate General of Civil Aviation (SHGM Turkey) · State Airports Authority (DHMI) Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP)

Verification Methodology →

🔬 Operational & Aerodrome Engineering Comparative Analysis

Longest runway ≥10,500 ft

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Elevation & National Context

Lowland Aerodrome (<2,000 ft)

IST lies at 99 m (325 ft), #321 of 650 published airports by elevation and 44.3 percentile among 7,558 worldwide. It is equal to the Turkey median; KYA is highest at 3,392 ft, 3,067 ft higher than IST.

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Regional Density & Alternates (100 NM)

2 Qualifying Aerodromes in Vicinity

Closest of 2 paved-runway (≥5,000 ft) neighbours within 100 NM: Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW), 34.5 NM, 11,614 ft. Next: BOJ 94.9 NM. IST has the longest runway in this radius, 1,837 ft over SAW.

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Runway Inventory & National Standing

Primary Runway: 13,451 ft (4,100 m)

IST runways: 17R/35L 13,451 × 147 ft asphalt (asp); 17L/35R 13,451 × 196 ft asphalt (asp); 16R/34L 12,303 × 196 ft asphalt (asp); 16L/34R 12,303 × 147 ft asphalt (asp); 18/36 10,039 × 148 ft concrete (con); 09/27 9,250 × 148 ft concrete (conc). National standing: #1 of 9 in Turkey; 328 ft ahead of GNY (13,123 ft). +34.5% vs the 10,000 ft baseline.

🛫 Physical Runway Inventory & Surface Engineering

Runway Designator	Length (ft / m)	Width (ft / m)	Surface Material	Lighting	Status
17R/35L	13,451 ft (4100 m / 4.100 km)	147 ft (45m)	`Asphalt (ASP)`	✅ Lighted	✅ Active
17L/35R	13,451 ft (4100 m / 4.100 km)	196 ft (60m)	`Asphalt (ASP)`	✅ Lighted	✅ Active
16R/34L	12,303 ft (3750 m / 3.750 km)	196 ft (60m)	`Asphalt (ASP)`	✅ Lighted	✅ Active
16L/34R	12,303 ft (3750 m / 3.750 km)	147 ft (45m)	`Asphalt (ASP)`	✅ Lighted	✅ Active
18/36	10,039 ft (3060 m / 3.060 km)	148 ft (45m)	`Concrete (CON)`	✅ Lighted	✅ Active
09/27	9,250 ft (2819 m / 2.819 km)	148 ft (45m)	`Concrete (CONC)`	✅ Lighted	✅ Active

🧭 Comparative Aerodromes (100 NM Radius, ≥5,000 ft Paved)

Great-circle Haversine spatial proximity matching for commercial facilities with paved runway capacity within 100 NM.

Aerodrome Name	IATA	Distance	Longest Runway	Lighting
Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (Pendik, Istanbul)	`SAW`	34.5 NM (63.9 km)	11,614 ft	✅ Lighted
Burgas Airport (Burgas)	`BOJ`	94.9 NM (175.8 km)	10,499 ft	✅ Lighted

🛡️ Source: OurAirports Open Aviation Database, snapshot 2026-09-01 · Provenance →