Turkey's Sabiha Gökçen Airport hits 166,000 daily passengers; July 15 public transport rides free

On 12 July 2026 Istanbul's Sabiha Gökçen International Airport handled a record 166,734 passengers in a single day, surpassing its own July 5 record. International arrivals rose to 49,280 passengers and inbound flights increased to 505, making the airport the fastest‑growing major hub in Europe according to ACI Europe, which reported a 7 % year‑on‑year growth and a fourth‑place ranking among European major airports.

Four days later, 15 July 2026, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan signed a decree published in the Official Gazette that made selected rail and metro lines in Istanbul, Ankara and İzmir free of charge for the day. The free‑fare service covered the Başkentray, Marmaray, İZBAN, the Sirkeci–Kazlıçeşme line and the newly opened Halkalı–Arnavutköy metro line (free until 31 July). The measure was intended to ease citizens' travel to commemorations of the 15 July Democracy and National Unity Day.