IST

£21 Find Cheap Flights to Istanbul Airport

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight to Istanbul departing on 29/8. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel. Click the price to replicate the search for this deal.
1 adult
1 adult, Economy

KAYAK searches hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to Istanbul Airport

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results for flights to Istanbul
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results for flights to Istanbul
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Cheap Flights to Istanbul

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for return flights to Istanbul that are departing in the next months. While these flights were available on KAYAK in the last 72 hours, prices and availability are subject to change and deals may expire.
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Recent return flight deals to Istanbul

Fri, 3 Oct - Sat, 11 Oct
Wizz Air Logo
21:50 - 03:50LGW-IST
4h 00mdirect
Wizz Air Logo
04:45 - 06:35IST-LGW
3h 50mdirect
£57Wizz Air
Find Deal
Thu, 2 Oct - Mon, 6 Oct
Wizz Air Logo
21:50 - 03:50LGW-IST
4h 00mdirect
Wizz Air Logo
04:45 - 06:35IST-LGW
3h 50mdirect
£58Wizz Air
Find Deal
Mon, 1 Sep - Fri, 24 Oct
easyJet Logo
07:30 - 13:15BRS-IST
3h 45mdirect
easyJet Logo
20:50 - 23:00IST-BRS
4h 10mdirect
£105easyJet
Find Deal
Fri, 3 Oct - Fri, 10 Oct
easyJet Logo
08:00 - 14:10MAN-IST
4h 10mdirect
easyJet Logo
15:00 - 17:20IST-MAN
4h 20mdirect
£107easyJet
Find Deal
Sat, 10 Jan - Thu, 5 Feb
British Airways Logo
07:00 - 13:55LHR-IST
3h 55mdirect
British Airways Logo
07:35 - 09:05IST-LHR
4h 30mdirect
£129British Airways
Find Deal
Fri, 5 Dec - Mon, 15 Dec
British Airways Logo
18:15 - 01:10LHR-IST
3h 55mdirect
British Airways Logo
15:15 - 16:40IST-LHR
4h 25mdirect
£130British Airways
Find Deal
Sun, 28 Sep - Thu, 9 Oct
Turkish Airlines Logo
23:30 - 05:35MAN-IST
4h 05mdirect
Turkish Airlines Logo
07:20 - 09:35IST-MAN
4h 15mdirect
£183Turkish Airlines
Find Deal
Tue, 6 Jan - Tue, 13 Jan
Turkish Airlines Logo
14:05 - 21:15MAN-IST
4h 10mdirect
Turkish Airlines Logo
11:45 - 13:05IST-MAN
4h 20mdirect
£186Turkish Airlines
Find Deal
Fri, 9 Jan - Fri, 16 Jan
Lufthansa Logo
09:55 - 22:45LCY-IST
9h 50m1 stop
Lufthansa Logo
06:30 - 17:40IST-LCY
14h 10m1 stop
£240Lufthansa
Find Deal
Mon, 17 Nov - Thu, 20 Nov
Lufthansa Logo
09:50 - 22:45LCY-IST
9h 55m1 stop
Lufthansa Logo
06:30 - 16:30IST-LCY
13h 00m1 stop
£242Lufthansa
Find Deal

Expert advice for your flight to Istanbul

 
Snippets provided in this section are AI-generated based on a summarisation of KAYAK-commissioned articles. The articles are presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up-to-date. The opinions contained in the articles are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others.
KAYAK teamed up with top travel experts to share the best tips for your journey.
Airports
IST

The M11 metro line connects IST to the city centre, running every 5 minutes, making it a convenient option for quick travel into Istanbul.

Read more about ISTby Jenna Scatena
Our travel experts
Jenna Scatena

Jenna Scatena

Expert on IST

Jenna Scatena

Jenna Scatena

Journalist and Travel Writer, Jenna Scatena is an award-winning travel writer with a love for sharing stories and exploring new places, especially by Vespa. Though she's from San Francisco, she has spent a significant chunk of her vacation days over the last decade eating her way through Texas and sleeping in hotels around the world—especially in California, the Middle East, and Europe.

Read more
Useful Info

KAYAK's insights & trends for flights to Istanbul

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights to Istanbul to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

What is the cheapest flight to Istanbul Airport?

These are the best round-trip prices found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 72 hours.

In the last 3 days, the cheapest flight deal to Istanbul Airport was found on the route from London, at £42 return. The most popular connection is from London to Istanbul Airport and KAYAK users have found return deals for as low as £128 in the last 3 days.

How much is a flight to Istanbul Airport?

The average and cheapest price for all round-trip flights to Istanbul Airport from each origin found by users searching on KAYAK in the last month.

A flight to Istanbul Airport costs £496 on average. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks cost £26 and departed from London Luton Airport. The most popular routes on KAYAK are London to Istanbul Airport which costs £614 on average, and Manchester to Istanbul Airport, which costs £628 on average.

See prices from:

What is the cheapest month to fly to Istanbul Airport?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for flights to Istanbul Airport, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the median of all values for each month.

The cheapest month for flights to Istanbul Airport is March, where tickets cost £74 on average for return flights. On the other hand, the most expensive months are August and July, where the average cost of tickets from the United Kingdom is £266 and £254 respectively. For one-way flights, the best month to travel is January with an average price of £98.

What is a good deal for flights to Istanbul Airport?

If you’re looking for cheap airfare to Istanbul Airport, 25% of our users found tickets to Istanbul Airport for the following prices or less: From London Luton Airport £113 return, from Bristol £129 return, from London Gatwick Airport £283 return.

How far in advance should I book a flight to Istanbul Airport?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights to Istanbul Airport, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the average of all the values for each week.

To get a below average price, you should book around 5 weeks before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 16 weeks before departure.

Good to know - Cheap tickets to Istanbul Airport

Low seasonMarch
High seasonOctober
Cheapest flight£21
Best time to beat the crowds (31% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 0% lower on average.
Flight from London Luton Airport to Istanbul Airport

When to book flights to Istanbul

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel to Istanbul based on our flight data from the last year. Discover the cheapest month and even day to fly.
Estimated return price
KAYAK looks at all historical flight data for each date to provide a predicted price for one-way trips or returns with a duration up to 40 days. The information is for flights to Istanbul based on your location. While we try to provide actual minimum prices for each date, some prices are predictions and actual prices may differ.

FAQs - booking Istanbul Airport flights

  • How can I go from Ataturk Airport Istanbul to the city centre?

    The city centre is 22km (14 miles) away. The options available to you are private transfer, airport bus, taxi, city bus, metro, tram and shuttle van. For travellers with emphasis on their comfort, security and convenience, the airport private transfer service is the best option.

  • What amenities can I get at the Ataturk International Airport?

    Those hoping to fly first or business class on Emirates to the Ataturk Airport, can have a pre-flight relaxation in a comfy leather armchair in the Emirates Lounge. The lounge offers champagne and other gourmet Turkish treats. There is also a wellness centre called ‘SkyTeam Lounge' where you can get a full-body massage and where long-haul travellers can de-stress for a while.

  • Is the new Istanbul Airport (ISL) fully operational yet?

    The new Airport will be in full service by the end of 2018. The inauguration date was on the 29th October, 2018. The new airport has a large amount of facilities and shops to host a large amount of international travellers.

  • How can I access the airport free Wi-Fi and how long does it stay free?

    The Ataturk airport has a free Wi-Fi service that lasts for two hours after which you must pay for extra time. So you will have to use the two hours wisely if you hope to remain within the free zone. Be mindful that to connect to the Wi-Fi, you will need a mobile phone that can receive text messages in Turkey.

  • Which airlines operate eco-friendly flights to Istanbul?

    If you are looking for eco-friendly options to Istanbul, we recommend looking at flights on Lufthansa via Frankfurt. These depart from LHR and produce 50% less carbon emissions. Lufthansa, from Manchester, with a stopover in Frankfurt, produces 49% less CO2. From Birmingham, KLM operates via Amsterdam and produces 35% less carbon dioxide.

  • What visa requirements exist for British passport holders in Turkey?

    British passport holders are able to visit Turkey, visa-free for 90 days in a period of 180 days. Your passport needs to have at least one entirely blank page for any stamps, and needs to be valid for a period of 150 days from your arrival date.

  • Which stopover cities are there between the UK and Istanbul?

    If you choose to fly on Lufthansa from Manchester or LHR you’ll be able to stop over in Frankfurt while Whizz Air from London Luton will stopover in Budapest (BUD). Aegean Airlines from Birmingham will have a stopover in Athens (ATH), while KLM flies to Istanbul via Amsterdam (AMS).

  • Which other cities can I access from Istanbul Airport?

    Flying to Istanbul (IST) puts you in the European side of Turkey and you’ll be well-placed to visit other cities such as the seaside town of Tekirdağ on the Marmara Sea, a 1.5 hour drive from the airport. You can also visit the town of Kumköy on the Black Sea Coast, a half hour’s drive from IST. 

  • What is the cheapest flight to Istanbul Airport?

    In the last 3 days, the cheapest flight deal to Istanbul Airport was found on the route from London, at £42 return. The most popular connection is from London to Istanbul Airport and KAYAK users have found return deals for as low as £128 in the last 3 days.

  • How far is Istanbul Airport from central Istanbul?

    You’ll need to travel 21 miles to reach the Istanbul city centre from Istanbul Airport.

  • How much is a flight to Istanbul?

    On average, a flight to Istanbul costs £496. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks cost £26 and departed from London Luton Airport.

  • What is the cheapest day to fly to Istanbul?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to Istanbul is Monday where round-trip tickets can be as cheap as £538. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Saturday, where round-trip prices are £590 on average.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights to Istanbul Airport?

    KAYAK is a travel search engine. That means we look across the web to find the best prices we can find for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights to Istanbul Airport.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket to Istanbul Airport?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Istanbul Airport is likely to change within 7 days, so travellers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights to Istanbul Airport?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional return ticket. You could then fly to Istanbul Airport with an airline and back with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight to Istanbul Airport?

    Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying to Istanbul Airport up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

  • What is the cheapest time of day to fly to Istanbul Airport?

    The cheapest time of day to fly to Istanbul Airport is generally at night, when round-trip flights cost £426 on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to Istanbul Airport is generally in the evening, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is £688.

  • How many direct flights to Istanbul Airport are there each week?

    Each week there are around 181 direct flights from within United Kingdom to Istanbul Airport. The most common day for departures is Monday, with 16% of flights taking off on this day.

Top tips for finding cheap flights to Istanbul Airport

  • Looking for cheap airfare to Istanbul Airport? 25% of our users found round-trip tickets to Istanbul Airport for the following prices or less: Cheap flights to Istanbul Airport from London Luton £89, from Birmingham £867, from London Heathrow £1,314
  • Enter your preferred departure airport and travel dates into the search form above to unlock the latest Istanbul Airport flight deals.
  • Considering a flight to Istanbul, there are three airports in Istanbul with Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport (IST) located in Yeşilyurt, 23km (14 miles) west of Sultanahmet Square, being the busiest of them all with more connectivity both locally and internationally. Other airports include Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW) and the new Istanbul Airport (ISL). If you are heading to the Asian parts of Istanbul like Bosphorus or cities close to it, then the Sabiha Gökçen Airport is a more convenient choice.
  • If you have time to spare at the Ataturk Airport, you can take advantage of the free city tour being offered by Turkish Airways to transit international passengers. The tours are offered twice a day by TourIstanbul. To qualify, you should have at least a 6-hour transit time between 9am and 6pm. The tours are in these timings 09:00-15:00, 09:00-18:00 and 12:00-18:00.
  • Are you anticipating a late arrival at the Atatürk International Airport (IST)? Not to worry, there are a couple of hotels that you can pass the night in. There are several moderately-priced hotels that are within 1 to 8 km away. There are a couple of hotels that are further from the airport so if your flight doesn’t fall in the rush hour, you can stay there.
  • Are you anticipating a long stressful flight to Istanbul? The Ataturk Airport has something for you. You can relieve yourself by getting a massage at Tui Na. Tui Na offers Swedish style massages. You can get these massages fully clothed. Tui Na is located in the Departures area near Gate 216.
  • Do you have a knack for history and aviation? Then you are in luck. A historical museum owned by the Turkish Airforce grants you access to interesting historical planes dating as far back as 1912. The museum also offers exhibitions of helicopters, hovercrafts, jet motors and more.
  • Istanbul Airport (IST), one of Turkey’s busiest airports, is the main hub for Turkish Airlines. As one of the main transport hubs in Europe, flying into IST will make it easy for you to connect to Turkish Airlines flights to other cities in Turkey, like Ankara and Antalya, as well as cities in surrounding countries, such as Greece and Bulgaria.
  • If you are flying from London Heathrow (LHR), TAROM includes both a hand luggage and hold luggage option in its fares. Turkish Airlines from all UK airports will include a hold luggage option for an extra cost. From Manchester, via LHR, British Airways also includes a hold bag in the fare.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines flying to Istanbul

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying to Istanbul. Airline scores are aggregated from all reviews left by passengers on KAYAK after flying with an airline from the United Kingdom to Istanbul. KAYAK doesn’t show reviews that are older than 5 years. Learn how KAYAK collects reviews.
Need help choosing which airline to fly with to Istanbul? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to verified KAYAK customer reviews.
7.3
Turkish AirlinesOverall score based on 3901 reviews
7.3Boarding
7.7Crew
7.4Food
7.4Entertainment
7.3Comfort
Airline reviews

Very good overall.... apart from the cost of extra check ed in luggage where they charge £17 per kg, and no option to just buy an extra bag allowance (at least on the route I took)

10.0 ExcellentKarim, Jul 2025LGW - IST
Read more Turkish Airlines reviews

Very good overall.... apart from the cost of extra check ed in luggage where they charge £17 per kg, and no option to just buy an extra bag allowance (at least on the route I took)

Amazing! Big line at Check in was diminished in 10 minutes. Boarding was quick and efficient. Service and food great. Only minor point: seats could be a little broader and for me being small, something to put your feet on during the flight would be great.

Except for spending an extra day in Istanbul due to late departure from Athens on Saturday and missing the connection flight TK0044 to Cape Town and again arriving 45 min late on Monday in Cape Town, it was all good.

The best food I’ve ever been served on an airplane. The security at the gate was frustrating as was the heavy editing of the films and television shows offered.

The 2 agents on the check in counter were super nice , helpful and very polite. Boarding was like a 1 2 3, I would recommend Turkish airlines for your next trip.

It was an old airline with the old configuration of business class seats. Not really what we signed up for for the longest leg of the trip. Disappointing.

flight with heavy turbulence old boeing 777 rest wasnt clean dashboard doesn’t work

Very bad overall. The comfort level was undeniably uncomfortable. The in-flight entertainment was no good because my screen froze and “wasn’t able to reset”. The staff were rude and non-helpful. Instead of offering me an upgrade for all inconveniences for the ticket, and seat I paid extra for, I was offered a downgraded seat all the way at the back of the aircraft. The flight was delayed for so long, making the experience at the layover airport that much more unpleasant.

Food wasn’t nice and doesn’t have halal option

Light and recline did not work on my seat. Very uncomfortable and could not read in the dark

Not because when i try to do check in there is only in turkish language i can not select other language

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGVSRsasQcG/?igsh=dmkxa2s1eHNlbHZs

Don't fly Pegasus, terrible service at the airport and boarding was really bad. Both flights I took with them were significantly late. This flight had us all changing the gate at the last moment and it was chaos.withour explanation or apology. The planes have seats that don't recline and seats are really hard. The crew on board was good both flights, but that is the only positive thing I can say about this airline. It's not worth it and I won't be flying them again.

The airport staff were some of the worst I've ever flown, and I fly at least 50x every year. From the staff at the gate, to the check in staff, to the ticketing sales staff. My experience in Instanbul was so bad Ill.never fly Pegasus again. They were incredibly rude, dismissive and not helpful whatsoever. This is the worst of the worst if you want to fly a budget airline I'd go elsewhere. The airplane seats are really uncomfortable and don't recline at all, you get charged for every single thing so in the end you will pay more flying with them. The crew on the plane were the only kind people we encountered with Pegasus.

Pegasus Airlines which is the most efficient and cost worth low cost airline all over the Europe

Flight from London was delayed and we had to hurry up to catch the connecting flight to Riyadh

The crew were outstandingly kind and cheerful. We carried our cat and they offered help.

Late departure. No announcements. Boarding was a disaster. Some kind of technical issue scanning boarding passes.

Pegasus is a very efficient airline. Passengers, however are sometimes unruly. Getting up right after take off. Getting up right when we land and before getting to the gate. Switching seats to the front so she can get a better seat. It is unfair for those that actually paid for seats. Flight attendants seem to not enforce it. One or two bad actors ruins it. Overall, the airline is great.

Pegasus is not a very comfortable airline. They’re not in any way hospitable

Economy seats are so small and compacted so close together that comfort is negatively affected, especially on long flights. However that is due to aircraft design, not anything the airline can do about it.

Terrible, We experienced massive delays and then couldn’t book a hotel through the link provided, nothing was available. We then went to the airport the next day and experienced further delays, almost no communication was given. We had dinner at lunchtime and breakfast at midnight. We then landed in Jhb at 1am and had to book another hotel as our flight to durban was at 8am. The experience was painful and very expensive.

Flight was cancelled at the last minute with no explanation. No viable alternative offered and zero customer service support. Totally useless.

Experience with British Airways was hopeless and the response from ground staff after flight cancellation was hopeless

3/4 bags delayed and 1/4 damaged at the other end. Flight was freezing

On time. Clean. Efficient. Just what is required for the short hop.

this was a good experience from on time boarding and take off to early arrival. Comfortable seats became empty seat next to me.

Cancelled flight, limited information and chaotic rebooking and accommodation provision. Apathetic crew who were more interested in taking about their layover plans than remembering passengers orders and actually bringing them (after 3 reminders). To top it off, priority baggage checked in at The Wing (LHR’s first class checkin) was delivered last to the baggage belt.

The crew were good. The flight was on time. The entertainment choice was ok. But the food was bad, tasted and texture were awful.

After boarding we were waiting in the plane for more than one hour to take off without AC with very high temperature inside

Bad. Cancelled and delayed flight. Payed 25£ for seat but got just normal one. No one refunded the money.

Great crew. Seats do not recline :( but it is budget so i should have known. Otherwise comfy leather chair. Slight slim chair but again budget so expected. No entertainment do makes journey boring. Recommend packing plenty of snacks and games or download plenty of films and music in your device. Staff excellent. Clean flight. On time.

Both of my flights had issues with their time slot with air traffic control, so they left over an hour late and the flight back to London was delayed by over an hour. Please provide more clarity about baggage requirements on booking sites, your website and within the app. I had to pay for extra bags at the airport when departing London, because they didn’t specify that your carry on bag can only be a backpack and not a trolley, my trolley bag fit the size requirements of the backpack but still I was made to pay

The crew at Check-in was very helpful. It’s was appreciate.

It’s a budget airline. You get what you pay for. They insisted on getting us out of the gate and into our slot on time. They got us to the destination safely. Aircraft was clean and well maintained. What more could we want

Half an hour delay. Squeezed into a small Departure Lounge with very few seats. Noisy flight with screaming unruly kids. Loud IPads and Phones. Heaven!

Were delayed in the airport for 5 hours with no explanation. Flight kept getting delayed by an hour at a time and wizz air staff were no where to be found

The flight was delayed 5 hours and I'm and invalid,I wan a refund for this

The cabin crew on that flight were super fantastic and super helpful. They were so polite and considerate that i felt i travelled with a 5star airline.

Delayed delayed delayed - always with Wizzair. Staff were friendly and well mannered but clearly the company is unorganized and the aircrafts are outdated.

It's a budget airline. Great for short flight. Smooth landing.

Everything you need to know for your flight to Istanbul

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