Turkey sees large rise in air passengers

By Tuba Sahin and Gokhan Ergocun

ANKARA

The number of passengers passing through Turkish airports rose 9.1 percent annually in the first eight months of 2017, the country’s airport authority announced on Thursday.

Turkish airports served more than 127 million people between January and August, up from 116.5 million in the same period last year, according to the General Directorate of State Airports Authority.

The number of international passengers surged 15.9 percent to reach nearly 55.5 million from January to August.

In the same period, cargo traffic also saw an increase of 9.6 percent year-on-year to reach over 2.2 million tons -- including overflights.

The figures also showed that Turkey served almost 1.3 million planes in the first eight months of the year, indicating a rise of 3.9 percent from the same period last year, including overflights.

Istanbul's Ataturk Airport remains the busiest airport in Turkey. It was followed by Sabiha Gokcen Airport -- Istanbul's main air hub on the Asian side -- and Antalya Airport, serving the Mediterranean resort city in southern Turkey.