Gaziantep Airport Guide: South East Turkey’s Air Gateway
Gaziantep Airport passed three million passengers in 2025, linking a UNESCO City of Gastronomy with Istanbul and Germany. See its runway, airlines and access.
By The Aviation Hub
5 min read
Updated October 20, 2026 
Gaziantep is known across Turkey for baklava, pistachios and textile factories, and its airport has grown with the city’s economy. Gaziantep Airport, officially Gaziantep Oguzeli International, handled just over three million passengers in 2025. Most passengers fly to Istanbul, but a growing international network links the region with Germany and Iraq. In February 2023 the airport became a lifeline for earthquake relief across south east Turkey.
Gaziantep Airport at a Glance
The codes are GZT and LTAJ. The airport lies about 12 miles (20 km) from Gaziantep city centre in the district of Oguzeli, which gives it its official name. It sits at an elevation of 2,305 ft (703 m) on the plateau that rolls south towards the Syrian border. It has one runway and a passenger terminal handling domestic and international flights.
Traffic reached 3,068,220 passengers in 2025, up about 4 per cent, including around 466,000 international passengers. Annual capacity is rated at about six million. Turkish Airlines, its low cost arm AJet, Pegasus and SunExpress carry most of the traffic at Gaziantep Airport. The state airports authority DHMI publishes its statistics. Flight information is on the airport’s official website.
How Gaziantep Got Its Airport
The airport was inaugurated in 1976, giving Gaziantep and its surrounding province a modern airfield. For two decades it remained a modest domestic field with a small terminal.
Growth in the 1990s brought an extension programme, with construction starting in 1998. The airport gained international status in 2006, opening the way for direct flights to Europe and the Middle East. Gaziantep’s food culture, recognised by UNESCO as a City of Gastronomy, and its manufacturing base drove steady growth.
Traffic has climbed quickly in recent years, from around 2.6 million in 2023 to 2.96 million in 2024 and past three million in 2025. Gaziantep Airport now serves a catchment of several million people across the province and its neighbours.
On 6 February 2023 two powerful earthquakes struck south east Turkey and northern Syria. Towns in Gaziantep province, including Nurdagi and Islahiye, suffered heavy damage, and nearby Hatay’s airport was put out of action for a time. Gaziantep became a major hub for humanitarian aid, with military transports and relief charters arriving from around the world.
Runways at Gaziantep Airport
Runway 10/28 is 3,000 m (9,842 ft) long and 48 m (157 ft) wide, with a concrete surface. It is the only runway in the Turkish aeronautical information publication and carries all the airline traffic.
The length is generous for the Airbus A320neo, A321neo and Boeing 737 jets that dominate. At 706 m above sea level, summer heat reduces aircraft performance, so the long runway gives useful margin on hot afternoons.
The runway runs roughly east to west across open, gently rolling land, and the wind of the day decides which end is in use. Winters can bring fog and occasional snow on the plateau, but conditions are generally favourable for flying.
Terminals and Airlines
The passenger terminal at Gaziantep Airport has separate domestic and international areas, in line with standard Turkish practice. The current building opened in December 2021, with about 72,600 sq m of space and parking for around 2,000 cars. Processing is usually quick outside the holiday peaks.
Turkish Airlines connects Istanbul Airport, while AJet and Pegasus focus on Ankara and Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen. Pegasus and SunExpress add flights to Izmir and Antalya. All four use Airbus A320 family or Boeing 737 aircraft.
International flights serve Germany’s large Turkish community, with links to Cologne Bonn and Dusseldorf. Flights to Erbil and Iraqi Airways services connect Iraq, reflecting the region’s business ties.
Routes and Destinations
Istanbul is the dominant market, split between Istanbul Airport and Sabiha Gokcen. Business travellers, students and families keep the route busy all year. Ankara, Izmir and Antalya follow, with Antalya peaking in summer.
Germany is the core international market for Gaziantep Airport, with demand peaking in summer and around the religious holidays when families travel home. Seasonal services add more German and European cities. Iraq is the other key market, with business and trade traffic. The religious holidays of Ramadan Bayram and Kurban Bayram bring sharp peaks on every route, as families gather across the country.
Domestic travel accounts for about 85 per cent of passengers at Gaziantep Airport. Cargo is modest and travels mostly in the holds of passenger aircraft.
Getting to and from Gaziantep Airport
There is no rail link. Shuttle buses run between the terminal and the city centre, timed to meet flights, and they are the cheapest sensible option. The journey takes around 30 to 40 minutes.
Taxis wait outside arrivals and take around 25 to 30 minutes to the centre. Rental car desks are in the terminal, which suits visitors heading to the Zeugma archaeological site near Nizip or to other cities in the region. In the city itself, the Zeugma Mosaic Museum, home to the celebrated Gypsy Girl mosaic, is the obvious first stop.
Parking is available in front of the terminal. Roads around Gaziantep are generally good, and the city’s main ring roads link to the motorway network towards Adana and Sanliurfa.
Spotting and Photography
Gaziantep Airport is a low key spotting venue. Turkish Airlines, AJet, Pegasus and SunExpress jets dominate, and humanitarian and cargo flights have added variety in recent years. Seasonal charters from Germany bring the occasional less familiar livery, and the international apron is busiest on summer weekends.
Photography near Turkish airports requires care. Security is tight, especially near the Syrian border, and officials may question anyone with long lenses near the fence. The terminal windows give the safest views of the apron.
Stay on public land, avoid photographing security installations and follow instructions from police and the gendarmerie. If in doubt, ask before taking pictures.
What Comes Next
With capacity of around six million and traffic at three million, Gaziantep Airport has room to grow. The focus is on adding international routes, especially to Europe and the Gulf, and on serving the region’s rebuilding after the 2023 earthquakes.
The city’s growing economy and diaspora links support steady expansion. The verdict is solid growth, led by Istanbul and Germany, with new international routes the main upside. See the region on the Airports of the World map.
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