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, followed by the two Turkish carriers Onur Air and Atlas Global. 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, San Mariono Executive Aviation.

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 (local spotter), Daniel Seaman. Last change: October 2022 (all spots checked)

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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. Usually 34L, 35R and 36 for landings, 35L and 36 for departures. If the wind blows from the Sea of Marmara (south) runways 16/17/18 are active. 16R and 18 for landings, 17R and 18 for departures.
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.
17L/35R (center)	One of the two parallel runways in the middle section of the airport areal, west of the terminal. Only in use for arrivals from both sides. One of the busiest runways due to its closeness to the terminal.
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. In use for arrivals and departures from both sides. One of the busiest runways due to its close postion to the terminal. Often domestic flights and some eastern incoming traffic use this runway.

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	Spot #1 – 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.
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.
TIME	Fom (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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	Spot #2 – 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	Fom (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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	Spot #3 – 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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	Spot #4 – 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: Fom (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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	Spot #5 – 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!

	Spot #6 – 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$)
FOCAL LENGTH	Gulf Air 787 = 200mm; Turkish A330F = 100mm; Green Flag 737F = 220mm

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	Spot #7 – Terminal
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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