Istanbul Airport Departures (IST)

Flight Departures at Istanbul Airport

Istanbul Airport is a large airport and there are always things we wonder about before arriving at an airport, whether it is for departure or arrival.

Transfers at Istanbul Airport

Rental Cars – All the car rental companies at Istanbul Airport are located in the domestic landside area and are open 24/7. Follow the instructions given on how and where to return the rented vehicle. 

Public Transportation Buses – Havaist provides 10 bus routes from the most popular tourist areas of Istanbul while IETT provides 6 routes from areas less popular with tourists. Havaist buses provide more space and comfort while IETT provides lower fares and are mostly used by locals. Tickets can be purchased on Havaist buses while IETT can only be accessed using the Istanbul Card. 

Buses arrive on level -2 of the terminal. The journey will take somewhere between 45 minutes and 2 hours depending on the origin and the traffic. More information about buses to and from Istanbul Airport.

Taxis – Taxis will drop their customers off at the departures level. Any taxi company can be used for the transfer to the airport. Information about taxis to or from Istanbul Airport.

Hotel Shuttles – Hotels may offer an airport shuttle service to their guests for convenient transfer to the airport. These are arranged by the traveler directly with the hotel. See a selection of hotels near Istanbul Airport.

Private Transfers – Private transfers to or from Istanbul Airport can be organized by the traveler or their representative. 

Trains – While a metro line is under construction it will not be taken into operation until early 2022. The closest main train stations are located in Istanbul, one is on the European side and the other on the Asian side, both serving major cities and parts of the country on their individual sides. See more about local train services in Istanbul.

Parking at Istanbul Airport

Istanbul Airport has 40,000 parking spaces of which 18,000 are located in the world’s largest multi-story parking facility. The facility consists of five parking garages named after colors and four of these have 7 stories while the fifth has three. The rest of the parking spaces can be found on surface lots. 

Smoking at Istanbul Airport

Smoking at Istanbul Airport is only allowed on the 13 dedicated smoking terraces available at the airport, 10 are located on the international airside and 3 on the domestic airside.

WiFi at Istanbul Airport

A total of 33 wireless internet kiosks are available at the airport. They offer 1-hour free internet access to users. The WiFi is accessed via SMS or passport number. 

ATMs at Istanbul Airport

The airport has plenty of ATMs/cash machines throughout the airport’s landside. There are no machines on the airside. 

Check-in Counters, Luggage Drop Counters and Check-in Kiosks at Istanbul Airport

The airport has a total of 566 check-in counters, 13 counter islands, 112 self check-in kiosks and 36 luggage drop-off counters.

Airport Lounges at Istanbul Airport

There are airport lounges available for travelers in both the international and the domestic departures areas. These lounges provide a variation of services and offer facilities such as WiFi services, resting areas, buffet and drinks and much more. There are more services in the international lounge than in the domestic. It is possible to access the lounges through a payment at the desk provided that there is room available. 

Nap Zones at Istanbul Airport

The airport offers seats for napping while waiting to board the flight. There are a total of 278 seats at 6 points of the terminal. 

Luggage Carts at Istanbul Airport

Baggage trolleys can be found in trolley dispensers in various locations around the airport. A deposit is paid with cash, debit card or NFC and will be returned upon returning the cart.