Turkey sees 8.5% drop in air travel from United Kingdom

Data from Turizm Databank indicates a significant decline in air travel from the United Kingdom to Turkey during the first seven months of 2026. While overall air travel from the UK increased by 0.5%, flights to Turkey dropped by 8.5%.

This shift suggests a change in destination preferences among British travelers. While Turkey saw a decline, competing Mediterranean destinations experienced growth, including Italy (8%), Spain (7.2%), Greece (5.4%), Portugal (5%), and Croatia (3.7%).

The decline in Turkey is most pronounced in major holiday hubs. Air travel to Bodrum fell by 18%, Dalaman by 17.2%, Izmir by 14.2%, and Antalya by 11.8%. In contrast, travel to Ankara rose by 2.9%, and flights to Sabiha Gökçen Airport increased by 10.3%.

Comparing the first eight months of 2025 to 2026, the number of British tourists arriving in Turkey fell from approximately 3.03 million to 2.71 million, representing a loss of roughly 288,000 visitors.