Airport Guide to Ataturk International (IST)

Airport Overview

Terminal Transfer | Getting into Town | Car Parking | Information Desks | Airport Facilities

Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul claims to be the airport serving the most non-European routes in 2011. Like Istanbul, Ataturk Airport is a meeting-point between east and west. Ataturk International Airport is a major air hub for the region and is one of the top 20 busiest airports in the world.

Passengers travelling through Ataturk International Airport will be pleased to know that the airport has a great selection of duty-free shops including tobacconists, perfume shops and many name brand stores such as Hugo Boss, D&G, DKNY, Dior, Armani, Gucci, Guess and Prada. What better way to keep yourself entertained between flights or while waiting for your flight than to embark on a shopping extravaganza?

Most airlines from across the world offer flights to Istanbul. Low-cost carriers such as Atlasjet, Pegasus Airlines, IZair and Sky Airlines all offer cheap flights to Ataturk International Airport. Ataturk is also the main hub for the national carrier Turkish Airlines, which flies to destinations including Amsterdam, Birmingham, Cape Town and Chicago as well as Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore, New York, and Paris.

The airport was designed with Istanbul’s unique East-meets-West history in mind. This is particularly evident in the architecture of the building, such as the intricate mosaic tiling of the airport floors. It serves as a great introduction to the beautiful Ottoman architecture in Istanbul.

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Terminal Transfer

The International and Domestic Terminals are five minutes apart via moving walkways or travelators.

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Getting into Town

Train: Both terminals are connected to Istanbul’s metro system in the basement areas of the terminals. Metro trains depart regularly and run into central Istanbul. Tickets cost YTL 2 (just £0.70).

Bus: Airport buses operate from international and domestic arrivals. Buses run every 30 minutes between 6am and 1am. It takes 30- 45 minutes to get into central Istanbul and bus fares start at YTL 9 (approx £3). Public buses also operate from the airport between 6:30am and 9pm.

Taxis: Taxis are the most expensive option into the city, costing YTL 30 (£10) for the 40-minute drive to the European part of the city centre. A 50 per cent surcharge is added between midnight and 6am. Istanbul Taxis charge a general flag fare of YTL 2 and a further YTL 1.30 per kilometre thereafter.

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Car Parking

Ataturk has an open car park, a large multi-storey car park, as well as a valet service. The multi-storey car park fees start at YTL 8.25 (almost £3) for one hour and go up to YTL 26 (£9) for 12-24 hours. The open car park is for long-term parking and starts at YTL 6 (£2) for an hour, going up to YTL 20 (£7) for 24 hours and YTL 137 (£48) for a month-long stay.

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Information Desks

Departures and arrivals in both terminals each have an information desk, as does the transit passengers area. Staff members are multi-lingual and helpful.

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Airport Facilities

Money and communications: ATMs, currency exchange facilities and banks in both arrivals and departures areas. A post office and public telephones are also available.

Luggage: The baggage claims area has a lost-luggage office. Luggage-wrapping services are available at both the domestic and international departure floors. The option of leaving luggage at the airport is a rare find these days, particularly with increased security measures at most airports, but Ataturk International Airport has a left luggage “checkroom”, located in the international and domestic arrivals floors and is open 24 hours a day. Prices are YTL 10-20 (£3.50-£7) depending on the size of the luggage being stored.

Conference and business: A fully equipped conference centre is available on site. Airline lounges offer business facilities such as faxing, printing and Internet access, to their VIP members and paying customers.

Other facilities: The airport has first-aid facilities and a permanent clinic located on the arrivals floor. Also, to cater for the significant Muslim population travelling through the airport, there are six mosques at Ataturk International Airport. While in Turkey, be sure to keep all receipts. Before departing from Turkey visit the Tax Free Office, which is located on the departures floor behind the Istanbul Cafe, to get a VAT refund on items purchased in Turkey.

Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi is available free of charge in the lounges in the international arrivals and departures halls. Individual service providers charge for general Wi-Fi access within the terminals; prices and terms all come up when you open your browser in the airport terminal.

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