On April 6, 2019, a new era began for air transport in and around Istanbul. All scheduled commercial passenger flights were transferred from Atatürk Airport to the newly constructed airport in the Arnavutköy district, north of the city of Istanbul (also on the European side).  The old airport “Atatürk” (now ISL), which is located directly in the city of Istanbul, had been operating at its limit, and since it could not be further expanded due its location, it was time to build a new and bigger airport outside of the city. Construction started in 2015 and a mere four years later the new airport opened its doors to the public. The old airport is still active with only one runway, but only being used by gov/biz jets and maintenance flights.

As of today, there is one major terminal and five parallel runways. Construction is still ongoing. Compared to Atatürk Airport, where spotting locations close to the airport were easily accessible, the situation is the complete opposite at the new airport. Due to the ongoing construction there is a lot of private security and police patrolling along the airport’s periphery. The authorities are going to establish dedicated spotting locations, but currently we don’t have any further details about this project. Except for #5, the spots, which are listed in this guide, aren’t in the focus of police or security, hence spotters shouldn’t encounter any issues at these locations.

The biggest player at IST, of course, is Turkish Airlines. There are a carriers, such as Afriqiyah Airways , Badr Airlines from Sudan, Iran Air Tours, Iran Air, Mahan Air, Qeshm, Afriqiyah Airways or Libyan Airlines, which are rare sights at other European airports, but are regulars in Istanbul. Furthermore there are a lot of uncommon cargo airlines at the airport like ULS, ACT Cargo.

The airport is open 24 hours, so sadly you will miss some nice traffic!

An online timetable can be found on the official website.

Written by Ömür Sadıkoğlu and Yiğit Çiçekci, Daniel Seaman, Tombarelli Federico, Konrad Wyszynski, Chris and Lorenzo Fantoni. Last change: September 2024 (Spots 13 added, spot 9 updated)

Rating
Movements
Airline Variety
Photo Locations
Weather
Airport Information
Runways
16L/34R (west)	3.750 m (12.303 ft) Asphalt (not in use)
16R/34L (west)	3.750 m (12.303 ft) Asphalt
17L/35R (center)	4.000 m (13.451 ft) Asphalt
17R/35L (center)	4.000 m (13.451 ft) Asphalt
18/36 (east)	3.060 m (10.039 ft) Asphalt & Concrete
Terminals
Gates A-F	International flights
Gates G	Domestic flights
Spotting Information
Ladder	Not necessary at any of the locations.
Car/Public Transport	A car equipped with a GPS is mandatory to get around as the area around the airport is very rural. There is no public transport. Furthermore, it is easier to hide camera equipment in the car in case of a security check.
Restrooms	None directly at the locations.
Drinks/Food	There are some gas stations around the airport where food and drinks can be purchased.
Hotels	Yotel in terminal. There are a few poor of quality hotels in Arnavutköy.
Season	Due to the north/south direction the summer months are the best choice, however, during this period heat haze is a serious issue due to the distance between the runways and most locations.
Security	Spotting in Turkey is neither supported nor understood. Spotting at Istanbul Istanbul Airport IST is at your own risk! Please always adjust your behaviour when travelling to the Middle East states (including Turkey) to avoid running into trouble with the police or other authorities. Keep a low profile wherever you are and try to hide your camera whenever it’s possible to prevent sensation. If you have a car stow your camera underneath the seat or in the glovebox of the car. Have a map with you to fake a glitch or for an alleged planning of a route and stay inside your car as long as possible. Our team hasn’t experienced any problems yet at the new airport. Another important thing to be aware of while spotting at Istanbul are the locals because they often don’t understand our hobby and consider spotters as suspicious people hanging around with expensive cameras. Avoid the areas that are within the red zone on our map! There are a few locations in that area but we recommend to not use them! Also never go to close to the perimeter fence as there are motion cameras installed.
Runway Usage
General Info	The airport has five parallel runways, which at first glance sounds challenging, but there is a system, which is described below. Usually 90% of the time the wind is coming from the black sea (north) so runways 34/35/36 are active. The air traffic controllers always use the nearby runways to the left and right of the terminal in order to get the departure traffic out of the airport as soon as possible. no attention is paid to the length of taxi time after landing. Generally, west and northbound traffic lands on runway 16R/34L, while south and eastbound traffic lands on runway 17R/35L. The algorithm of the approach traffic and the determination of the landing runways take place outside the decision of air traffic control with computer guidance.
16L/34R (west)	Not in use
16R/34L (west)	One of the two parallel runways that are in the westernmost corner of the airport. Used for arrivals mostly west and northbound traffic from Europe and America and usually cargo flights.
17L/35R (center)	One of the two parallel runways in the middle section of the airport areal, west of the terminal and one of the busiest runways due to its closeness to the terminal. Mainly in use for arrivals from both sides, mostly south and eastbound flights from Middle East, Asia, Eastern Africa flights.
17R/35L (center)	One of the two parallel runways in the middle section of the airport areal, west of the terminal. Major runway in use for departures from both sides. One of the busiest runways due to its closeness to the terminal.
18/36 (east)	Easternmost runway of the airport, east of the terminal. Mostly in use for departures from both sides. One of the busiest runways due to its close postion to the terminal. Often domestic flights and some eastern traffic use this runway.

Abandoned Cemetery - 34L Arrivals and Departures

WHERE	Get into the village of Tayakadın, drive north-eastwards on the main road and from there turn right to Neslihan Street. Drive all the way up until you reach an abandoned cemetery in front of you. Pass it on the left side to the end of the road. You can climb up the little hill left hand side for a better view. It seems that they have raised up the embankment between the spot and the runway the runway is almost invisible from spot 1. So it is recommended to stay a little bit southwards on the hill. You can still see the police station but don´t mind. They never bothered us on their patrols. By public transport: take the Metro and exit at Cargo Terminal station. From there you can walk along the sidewalk/ lawn into the direction of spot 1 for about 30 minutes. If you reach the roundabout you can see already the hillside behind a fence. Just turn left towards the police check point, pass them and walk towards the end of the fence. The police didn´t care. There were just some annoying straying dogs. Just ignore them. Then you can jump over the highway barrier and walk up the hill.
WHAT	From here you can photograph 34L landings. 90 degree pictures are not possible as the sight to the left is blocked by a hill. For 34L Departures go a bit down the hill as marked on the map.
TIME	From (early) afternoon until sunset all year round. Due to the distance heat haze is a problem for planes on the ground.
MISC.	There are some food stations in the village, but the better option is to buy what you need at Socar Gas Station, which is located south of the Rwy 34L threshold. High risky location due to Jandarma (military police) controls.
FOCAL LENGTH	Arrival: 77W = 340mm; A330 Star = 300mm Ground: A330 = 340mm; 787 = 350mm

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Forest - 16R Arrivals

WHERE	The spot is at a dirt road in a forest between Yeniköy and Karaburun. You can reach this position from the village of Yeniköy by passing spot 3 and driving westwards on the dirt road. Follow the path until the marked position on the map to capture 16L landings.
WHAT	Good location for 16R landings.
TIME	From (early) afternoon until sunset all year round.
MISC.	Usually a calm location but due to some recent forest fires it is possible that the governorship of istanbul forbid enterance to forests for security reasons! So be careful about managerial decisions before entering the spot. Nothing nearby.
FOCAL LENGTH	380mm SSJ100, 300mm for b738, 200mm a333, 160mm for B773

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Yeniköy village - 16R Arrivals

WHERE	Get to the village of Yeniköy on the northern side of the airport and drive till the end of the Özgürlük Caddesi. Park next to the last house on the side of the road to capture the 16L landings (
WHAT	16R landings only.
TIME	From sunrise until noon all year round.
MISC.	There is a restaurant and a supermarket in the village. The locals are very friendly and it is a safe place for spotting.
FOCAL LENGTH	280mm a320, 170mm for a333, 190mm a300-600,

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Yeniköy Village - 17L & 16R Arrivals

WHERE	This location is a calm and safe place in the village of Yeniköy along Okul Sokak. Follow Zakkum Sokak to Atatürk Caddesi, turn left and right towards the  Mosque and via Karaağaç Cad take the next left into Okul Sokak. Drive until you see some benches to sit down and park your car somewhere on the side of the road. Sounds complicate but its easy to find!
WHAT	17L landings (traffic with an eastern destination) combined with a beautiful view of the Black Sea. 16R landings be aware of heat haze and the long focal you need to reach smaller types.
TIME	Rwy 16R: From from sunrise until early afternoon. Rwy 17L: From (early) afternoon until sunset all year round.
MISC.	There is a restaurant and a supermarket in the village. The locals are very friendly and it is a safe place for spotting.
FOCAL LENGTH	Rwy 27L: A330 = 190mm Rrwy 16R: A346 = 400mm & MD80 = 500mm

Runway 17L

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Runway 16R

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Park at the side of the road

Position in the curve

Spotter in action

Yeniköy Village - 17L Arrivals

WHERE	Get to the village of Yeniköy and drive until the end of the Arslan Sokak. Position yourself on the empty field.
WHAT	17L landings, combined with a beautiful view of the Black Sea.
TIME	All season from sunset to noon.
MISC.	Nothing around except fields. Şok Market for all snacks.
FOCAL LENGTH	XXX

Photos coming soon!

Parking Lot near prayer room - 35L/R Arrivals and Departures

WHERE	The spot is within the airport boundaries, so not the safest place, but usually you should be fine if you keep a low profile. To get there drive from terminal and keep right after you have passed the Total Gas Station to your right. Pass the Turkish Airlines Operation Center and Crew Terminal to your right hand side and almost 800meters follow the right lane and turn right to Destek Bölgesi, Kargo Bölgesi (Supply Area & Cargo Area). 400 meters later pass HGS lane if your car has got HGS ticket, if has not take a ticket from the left line. Now drive trough the tunnel and when you are out make a U turn after 500 meters in the roundabout. Keep right and don’t drive back into the tunnel, pass the UPS cargo center after that road turning left and immediately turn right after the MNG Cargo center. Drive directly straight to parking lots till the end of it. The prayer room is in the face of.
WHAT	This is the only location to catch the traffic if 35 L/R is active. The runways are used by flights with an eastern destination. 35L is always in use for departures while 35R is used for the arrivals. The distance to the latter is farther and heat haze is an issue!
TIME	In summer from afternoon until sunset. In winter from late noon until around 1700 when the sun begins to set. Heat haze is a serious issue!
MISC.	If you enter with HGS system pass directly, if you enter with ticket use the left lane at the exit (after the tunnel) for payment. 4 hrs  is 37 Lira (almost 2$). You might have the better sight of the runways blocked by parked aircrafts and just a small space between some lightpoles to get a shot, you must check the spot to know if you can get your pics or not. So you could be disappointed by the spot, you need to check it.
FOCAL LENGTH	Gulf Air 787 = 200mm; Turkish A330F = 100mm; Green Flag 737F = 220mm

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View to the south

View to the east

View to the north

Terminal - Apron

WHERE	Airside, behind the security checks, spotting is available at the end of piers B, E and F. There are large windows over looking the taxiways. You are shooting through glass so a large rubber lens hood is advised.
WHAT	Taxi / Ramp areas (limited ramp views)
TIME	Usually all day, depends on the angle a bit.
MISC.	Food drinks and other aminities are available in the terminal and just keep a low profile and put your camera away between photos. It can be a long walk between piers so leave plenty of time to get to your gate!
FOCAL LENGTH	70-150mm

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Forrest - 35R afternoon arrivals

WHERE	Get to the village of Arnavutköy, wich is located south of the airport. While driving north on Fatih Street, turn right towards the point named “Arnavutköy Depot Area” on the map.  Follow the gravel road through the forest for 2.7 km as marked on the map.
WHAT	35R arrivals only (usually flights from east and south traffic)
TIME	From (early) afternoon until sunset all year round.
MISC.	Nothing around except fields and forest. Usually on weekends some families go to the forest and its environs for barbecues. You may also encounter shepherds walking their herds of animals in the evening. they may look carefully to see what you are doing. if you say hello, they will greet you and continue on their way.
FOCAL LENGTH	A320 = 300mm; B777 = 140mm

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Hills - 34L and 35R arrivals

WHERE	This is a great place to get the most out of the morning traffic during northern operations .The location is an among the hills along the highway after Spot#8. Just follow the instructions for the previous location through the forrest but from there go further up on the gravel road. When you arrive in front of the bridge, turn left or right on the gravel road for the two spots. Access to this locations is also possible from the village of Arnavutköy via Faith Cd. Just turn right into the forest as marked on the map. Drive very carefully as the gravel road is, in some parts, in super bad conditions! If you rush from a to b you might have a bad ride! We really suggest a decent insurance with the car rental as you might really damage the car.
WHAT	34L arrivals from Point A, which are mostly flights from Europe and America and usually cargo. 35R arrivals from Point A and B, which are mostly flights from Middle East, Asia, Eastern Africa.If you get familiar with how the airport assigns the runways you can guess if the airplane you need will land on 34 or 35. If you get your information in time you can switch from spots A to B in time to get everything.
TIME	From early morning till midday at point A  for 34L and from afternoon until sunset for 35R. From early morning till midday at point B  for 34L.
MISC.	Nothing around except stones and trees. You won’t have any shade to cover from the sun, so if you have some spare time between your targets you can hide under the Goose Bridge, very wide and nice shadow. You may encounter shepherds walking their herds of animals. They have been friendly with us, just wave and show what are you doing, they are fine with that. Always respect the place as you are on their propriety. You won’t face any problem with the Police/security and you are free to chase the most different traffic you want.
FOCAL LENGTH	100-400mm

Spot 9A for 34L and 35R:

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Spot 9B for 35R in the morning:

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Forrest - 36 arrivals

WHERE	Get to the village of Arnavutköy, wich is located south of the airport. Now you have to find your way via GPS to this point as it is hard to explain. You have to drive trough a forrest/ park. Drive through the forrest till you have reached the end which is some kind of a hill. Be aware the road leads to this spot can be really muddy. In this case park by the roadside and walk the rest of the way.
WHAT	36 arrivals only
TIME	From (early) afternoon until sunset all year round.
MISC.	Nothing around except fields and forest.
FOCAL LENGTH	Unknown

No pictures available for the moment

Official Viewing Deck - 16R/24L

WHERE	There is an official viewing deck on airport property which can be accessed by online registration on this website. This is the only option to reach the deck! After the successful registration you will be transferred by a shuttle bus from the terminal to the platform. The Spotter Area is only open on Saturdays from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM, and iGA provides complimentary transportation in vehicles departing from column no.7 on the -2 floor.
WHAT	All traffic on the western runways 16L/24R and 16R/24L
TIME	From (early) afternoon until sunset all year round but totally depends on the time of the tour will start and ends.
MISC.	Toilets are available plus water, snacks and soft drinks are provided free of charge to all spotters by the airport.
FOCAL LENGTH	Air Cairo a320 on a taxiway: 600mm, act cargo: 375mm, jordan aviation b733: 300mm

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Picture of the platform

Playground - 34L & 35R arrivals

WHERE	The spot is a good alternative if you don`t wanna drive to the southern locations at the hills/forrest. It is located in the town of Arnavutköy, south of the airport next to a small playground. Just spot from around this area. You can drive here by car and park on the road or came from the city of Istanbul by the metro line M11, leave on a station Tasoluk and wall by foot 15 minutes. No ladder required.
WHAT	Approach to runways 34L and 35R.
TIME	For runway 34L from sunrise till noon and for runway 35R from afternoon until sunset. Heat haze can be an issue sometimes for the 34L arrivals
MISC.	Restaurants are within 15 minutes of walk into the town.  Some trees spending shadow and benches to sit down. No issues with the police, locals are friendly. Just homeless dogs can be a problem but basically they don’t care about you
FOCAL LENGTH	400-600mm

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Faith Cd. - 34L arrivals

WHERE	Access to this location is from the town of Arnavutköy, which is south of the airport. From there drive north on Faith Cd. Close to the highway turn right onto a dirt road which leads through a forrest. After approximate 200-300 meters peak the car at the corner.
WHAT	Approach to runways 34L. Due to the huge distance only good for heavy aircraft.
TIME	From (early) afternoon until sunset all year round.
MISC.	Once again this location is in the middle of nowhere and nothing is close.
FOCAL LENGTH	400-600mm

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