Europe · Türkiye

Handling at Istanbul (LTFM)

We handle overflight permits, slots, flight plans, fuel, customs and the turnaround at Istanbul. One coordinator owns the stop at Istanbul, from the first filing to wheels up.

AERODROME

--:-- local

ICAO: LTFM
IATA: IST
Elevation: 325 ft
Position: 41.275, 28.732

RUNWAYS

17L/35R4,100 m / 13,451 ftAsphalt
17R/35L4,100 m / 13,451 ftAsphalt
16L/34R3,750 m / 12,303 ftAsphalt
16R/34L3,750 m / 12,303 ftAsphalt
18/363,060 m / 10,039 ftConcrete
09/272,819 m / 9,250 ftConcrete

Reference only, not for flight planning. Lengths are full declared runway length rather than declared distances, and this page is not amended on the AIRAC cycle. Check the current AIP and NOTAMs, or ask the desk and we will check them for you.

The field

What LTFM is actually like

Istanbul's main airport is one of the largest in the world and handles business aviation alongside an enormous scheduled operation. It is the practical bridge between Europe, Central Asia and the Gulf, and a very common technical stop.

Operating brief

What we handle before you file

Permits

Türkiye is neither EU nor Schengen, so landing and overflight permits apply for non-Turkish operators and the DGCA lead time is real. This is the first genuine permit filing on most eastbound European routings.

Slots and parking

Coordinated, with capacity that the older Istanbul fields never had. Parking for business aviation is available but should be confirmed rather than assumed at a field of this scale.

Customs and border

A full international border with visa requirements that vary considerably by passenger nationality. Crew and passenger documentation is worth checking against nationality well before departure rather than at the counter.

When it gets tight

Steady year round rather than seasonal. The constraint here is paperwork lead time, not apron space.

On the ground

Off the aircraft and into the car

The airport is vast and walking distances inside it are real. The drive into the European side runs forty-five minutes to well over an hour depending on the Bosphorus, and the Asian side is a different calculation entirely. Ask which side the passengers are staying on before booking cars.

Alternates

Where we go when LTFM will not take the trip

Every one of these is a field we would put to you with the reason attached, not a list of nearby runways.

LTBA
Istanbul Atatürk
No longer serving scheduled passengers, and now the preferred field for general and business aviation in the city.
LTFJ
Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen
On the Asian side, useful when the passengers are staying east of the Bosphorus.
LTBJ
İzmir Adnan Menderes
The Aegean coast, which is where the Çeşme and Bodrum traffic actually wants to be.

What we handle here