IST Istanbul Airport Guide for 2026

Quick facts

Istanbul Airport (IST / LTFM) opened in 2018 to replace Atatürk and now serves more international destinations than any other airport on the planet. It is Turkish Airlines' single mega-hub.

• Single passenger terminal — but it is huge. Plan 20+ minutes between distant gates.
• Time zone: Europe/Istanbul (TRT, UTC+3, no DST)
• Metro: M11 line links IST to Gayrettepe in ~30 minutes

Connections — actually doable

Turkish Airlines markets aggressive 60-minute international-to-international connections. They are technically possible but assume nothing goes wrong. For a comfortable transfer plan at least 90 minutes; for connections involving a passport check or a non-Schengen-to-Schengen change, plan 120+ minutes.

Visa note

Turkey's e-Visa is required for many nationalities. US, UK, EU, and Canadian travelers who are only transiting (airside) do not need one. If you exit airside — even just to a hotel or for sightseeing — you do.

Lounges worth knowing

• Turkish Airlines Lounge Business — one of the best business-class lounges on Earth.
• Turkish Airlines Lounge Miles & Smiles — Star Alliance gold.
• IGA Lounge — Priority Pass option, very large.

Track your IST flight

FlightyFlow handles Turkish's complex codeshare web cleanly — pin the operating flight number and you'll get the right gate at the right terminal even when the marketing carrier shows something different.