Istanbul Airport (IST) August 2025 Operational Report

Flight Activity Overview

Total Departing Flights: 23,687

Year-over-Year Change in Departing Flights: +10.53%

In August 2025, Istanbul Airport handled 23,687 departing flights (+10.53% year over year) as airlines added late‑summer capacity and fine‑tuned rotations. Stronger leisure demand to Europe and the Middle East supported the schedule, while carriers focused frequencies on peak travel days to improve aircraft utilization.

On-Time Performance and Cancellations

Departure On-Time Performance: 66.81%

Year-over-Year Change in On-Time Performance: +6.95 percentage points

Cancelled Flights: 203

Year-over-Year Change in Cancellations: -57.35%

Departure punctuality at Istanbul Airport averaged 66.81%, aided by schedule padding and improved ground handling, while cancellations fell to 203 (-57.35% YoY). Localized heat and occasional thunderstorms still produced late‑day flow restrictions, so travelers faced sporadic delays on peak afternoons.

Airlines Serving Istanbul Airport

Istanbul Airport is the primary global hub of Turkish Airlines with broad coverage across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Given August’s 23,687 departures, the network emphasized banked connections and high‑frequency service on European trunk routes, while leisure markets saw seasonal peaks.

Outlook

Over the next 4–8 weeks, schedules at Istanbul Airport should remain broadly stable with departure on‑time performance hovering near the current 66.81%; brief late‑day convective weather and weekend peaks are the main risk windows. Passengers should prioritize morning departures, budget 60–90 minutes of buffer for security and connections on busy days, and use the NextFly App for gate and weather alerts.