Cukurova Airport Guide: Adana and Mersin’s New Gateway
Cukurova Airport opened in 2024 to serve Adana and Mersin in southern Turkey. Read about its twin runways, airlines, routes, cargo terminal and transport links.
By The Aviation Hub
6 min read
Updated October 20, 2026 
Cukurova Airport is southern Turkey’s newest major airport, built on the coastal plain between Adana and Mersin. It opened in August 2024, replacing Adana’s cramped city centre airport, and handled about 5.4 million passengers in its first full year. The airport serves a region of several million people, a fertile farming plain and two busy industrial cities. Its twin runways and new cargo terminal give it room to grow for decades.
Cukurova Airport at a Glance
The airport uses the IATA code COV and the ICAO code LTDB. It lies in the Tarsus district of Mersin Province, about 12 miles (20 km) from Tarsus, 25 miles (40 km) from Adana and 35 miles (56 km) from Mersin. The elevation is just 8 m (25 ft). Two parallel concrete runways serve a single passenger terminal with capacity for about 9 million passengers a year.
Cukurova Airport recorded 5,434,070 passengers in 2025, of whom about 4.1 million flew domestic routes and 1.3 million international. Pegasus Airlines has an operating base here, and Turkish Airlines, AJet and SunExpress are other major carriers. The state airports authority DHMI owns the site, while Favori, which built the terminal, holds a 25 year operating concession. Flight information is published on the airport’s official website.
How the Region’s Airport Came to Be
For decades the region relied on Adana Sakirpasa Airport, which sat in the middle of the city with housing on every side and no room to expand. A new airport serving both Adana and Mersin was the obvious answer. The site near the village of Karasavran was chosen to sit between the two cities.
The construction contract was signed on 26 January 2012, and ground was broken on 28 May 2013. The original build, operate and transfer deal went to a consortium of Skyline and Zonguldak Ozel Sivil Havacilik, valued at around €357 million (roughly £300 million). Its lead company later ran into financial trouble, and the terminal was retendered in 2020. A joint venture led by Favori won the right to build it and run the airport for 25 years. The project dragged on for more than a decade before completion.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan performed the formal inauguration on 10 August 2024. Sakirpasa closed to commercial airlines at midnight on 11 August, and the new airport opened at noon the same day. The name comes from the Cukurova region, the plain known in ancient times as Cilicia.
Runways at Cukurova Airport
Runways 03L/21R and 03R/21L are each 3,500 m (11,482 ft) long, with concrete surfaces. Runway 03R/21L is 60 m wide and 03L/21R is 45 m wide. That length handles any aircraft likely to visit, from Airbus A320neos and Boeing 737 MAX 8s to wide body freighters and charters. Runways of this size are a huge step up from the old city airport.
The parallel layout gives the airport resilience. Runway 03R/21L handles normal traffic, while 03L/21R mostly serves as a taxiway and is used for take offs and landings only in emergencies or when the main runway closes for maintenance. The flat coastal plain is free of high terrain on the approaches. Summer heat and humidity are intense, which affects aircraft performance, but the long runways remove any concern about payload.
Terminals and Airlines
Cukurova Airport has one passenger terminal, designed for about 9 million passengers a year, with domestic and international areas under one roof. The building could double its capacity in future. A cargo terminal opened in 2025, operated by Turkish Cargo, with annual capacity of 25,000 tonnes and 11,000 square metres of storage and acceptance space.
Pegasus, which keeps a base here, flies Airbus A320neo family jets and Boeing 737s across Turkey and to Europe. Turkish Airlines and its low cost arm AJet link Istanbul and Ankara. SunExpress, Corendon and Eurowings carry Turkish communities and holidaymakers to and from Germany. Aeroflot, Azerbaijan Airlines, Fly Cham and Fly Kibris serve Moscow, Baku, Syria and Northern Cyprus, and Turkish Airlines brings Star Alliance connections.
Routes and Destinations
Istanbul is the dominant route from Cukurova Airport, with flights to both Istanbul Airport and Sabiha Gokcen throughout the day. Ankara, Izmir, Antalya and Trabzon are other important domestic links. Domestic flying accounted for more than three quarters of passengers in 2025.
The international network centres on Germany, home to a large diaspora from the region, with Dusseldorf among the key routes. London Stansted links the region with Britain, while Ercan in Northern Cyprus, Beirut and Baku serve neighbouring markets. Demand peaks in summer and during religious holidays, when families travel home. Cargo is a growing business, and around 44 per cent of it is classed as special cargo, such as perishables and temperature sensitive goods.
Getting to and from Cukurova Airport
There is no rail station at the terminal, although the Yenice railway junction lies about 4 miles (7 km) away. Cukurova Airport is reached by road, with the Cukurova motorway around 9 miles (14 km) from the site, linking it with Adana, Tarsus and Mersin.
Shuttle buses run between the terminal and the main cities, and they are the cheapest sensible option for most visitors. The drive to either Adana or Mersin takes roughly 45 minutes to an hour, depending on traffic and the part of the city. Taxis wait outside arrivals, but agree the fare first because the distances are significant. Car hire desks are in the terminal, and a large car park sits in front of it.
Spotting and Photography
As a brand new airport, Cukurova Airport has no established spotting scene yet. The flat farmland around the field gives open views, and minor roads near the runway ends may offer approach shots. Inside, the departure lounges overlook the apron, where Pegasus A320neos mix with Turkish Airlines, AJet and SunExpress jets.
Light is strong for most of the year, and early morning or late afternoon avoids summer heat haze. Turkish authorities are sensitive about photography near airports and military sites, so act discreetly. Stay on public roads, keep away from fences and security posts, and move on immediately if asked by police or airport staff.
What Comes Next
The airport opened with plenty of headroom. Traffic is already above 5 million against a capacity of about 9 million, and the terminal can be enlarged when needed. The cargo terminal was built on a modular design so it can expand as demand grows. Coastal tourism plans around Mersin could add leisure traffic in the years ahead.
Favori’s 25 year concession gives the operator a long horizon to build traffic. With two long runways, a growing cargo business and a large catchment, Cukurova Airport is heading for steady expansion as the main gateway to Turkey’s eastern Mediterranean coast. See how it compares with other Turkish airports on our Airports of the World map.
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