Location (City, Country)
Pendik, Turkey
Airport Type & Size
Airport Type & Overview
Type: It’s a public airport, serving as Istanbul’s secondary international gateway—especially significant on the Asian side of the city.
Operator & Ownership: Managed by Malaysia Airports, with HEAŞ (Airport Management & Aeronautical Industries Inc.) as the owner.
Location: Situated in Pendik on Istanbul’s Asian side, about 32 km southeast of the city center.
Size & Capacity
Terminals & Facilities
- Terminal Structure: Features a consolidated terminal (domestic & international flights under one roof) with an annual capacity of 25 million passengers. New Terminal (2009): The modern international terminal has a built area of up to 320,000 m² and is part of the airport’s rapid expansion.
Passenger Traffic & Operations
Annual Traffic (2024): Handled 41,482,901 passengers
Aircraft Movements (2024): Logged 241,536 movements
Runways
Runway 06L/24R: 3,000 m long, concrete surface.
Runway 06R/24L: 3,500 m long, also concrete—supporting larger, wide-body aircraft.
Why should this airport be added to World of Airports?
Would add another major airport in the Eastern Mediterranean alongside Athens or Middle Eastern hubs.
- Perfect midpoint for:
Europe ↔ Middle East routes.
Europe ↔ Asia routes.
- Primary base for Pegasus Airlines (LCC) – a chance to add more low-cost airline variety to the game.
- Serves both budget travelers and premium traffic, creating varied aircraft liveries and turnaround demands.
- Seasonal charter flights (especially for Hajj/Umrah and holiday destinations) can be integrated for event-based gameplay.
- Starting fleet focus: A320/B737 family for domestic & regional routes.
- Later unlocks: Widebodies (A330, B787, B777) for long-haul connections.
- Special event ops: Hajj flights, high summer tourist traffic.
Major Airlines & Routes
Primary Hub
Pegasus Airlines – Main base & largest operator (low-cost carrier).
AnadoluJet – Secondary hub (Turkish Airlines’ low-cost brand).
Turkish Airlines – Limited operations compared to IST.
flydubai – Middle East connections.
Qatar Airways – Premium Gulf services.
Emirates – Long-haul to Dubai.
Air Arabia – Low-cost Gulf connections.
Jazeera Airways – Kuwait routes.
Azerbaijan Airlines – Flights to Baku.
Wizz Air – European low-cost routes.
Flynas – Saudi connections.
Flyadeal – Saudi low-cost.
SalamAir – Oman routes.
Notable Routes from SAW
Domestic (Turkey)
Ankara (ESB)
Izmir (ADB)
Antalya (AYT)
Trabzon (TZX)
Dalaman (DLM)
Gaziantep (GZT)
Adana (ADA)
(High frequency – many daily flights)Europe
London (STN, LGW, LTN) – Pegasus, AnadoluJet, Wizz Air
Berlin (BER) – Pegasus, AnadoluJet
Frankfurt (FRA) – Pegasus
Paris (CDG, ORY) – Pegasus
Amsterdam (AMS) – Pegasus
Rome (FCO) – Pegasus
Vienna (VIE) – Pegasus, Wizz Air
Zurich (ZRH) – Pegasus
Middle East & Gulf
Dubai (DXB) – Emirates, flydubai, Pegasus
Doha (DOH) – Qatar Airways, Pegasus
Abu Dhabi (AUH) – Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, Pegasus
Jeddah (JED) – Pegasus, Flynas
Riyadh (RUH) – Pegasus, Flynas, Flyadeal
Kuwait (KWI) – Jazeera Airways, Pegasus
Muscat (MCT) – SalamAir
Caucasus & Central Asia
Baku (GYD) – Azerbaijan Airlines, Pegasus
Tbilisi (TBS) – Pegasus
Bishkek (FRU) – Pegasus
North Africa
Cairo (CAI) – Pegasus
Sharm El Sheikh (SSH) – Pegasus
Unique Features or Challenges
Unique Features
Dual Runway Upgrade
Historically one of the busiest single-runway airports in the world until its second runway opened in 2023–2024.
Players could start with single-runway ops (crowded, heavy sequencing) and later unlock the second runway for smoother flow. (probably could be added in the game unlockable runway for multi runway airports)
Low-Cost Carrier Powerhouse
Pegasus Airlines dominates the airport with a massive A320/B737 fleet.
Perfect for short turnaround challenges (25–40 mins) with high flight frequency.
Asia–Europe Gateway
Located right on the border of two continents.
Routes connect Europe, Middle East, Caucasus, and Central Asia, creating diverse traffic types.
Seismically Isolated Terminal
The main terminal is one of the largest earthquake-safe buildings in the world.
Could be an in-game trivia feature or part of a special mission event.
Mixed Fleet Diversity
From ATR72 turboprops (domestic/regional) to A330s and 777s (long-haul).
Wide range of handling times for players to manage.
Challenges
High Traffic Density
Constant flow of domestic narrowbodies with overlapping departure/arrival banks.
Requires tight gate management and precise runway sequencing.
Slot & Gate Congestion
Limited stands during peak hours.
Many flights with quick turnaround targets, pushing the player to work at max efficiency.
Weather Disruptions
Istanbul experiences winter fog, snow, and crosswinds in certain seasons.
Could be a seasonal challenge mode affecting arrival/departure flow.
Short-Haul Dominance
The majority of flights are under 4 hours, meaning more cycles and more aircraft to handle per day.
Less idle time compared to airports dominated by long-haul flights.
Cultural & Seasonal Peaks
Hajj & Umrah peaks: Sudden bursts of heavy widebody traffic to Saudi Arabia.
Summer holiday surges: Leisure destinations like Antalya, Bodrum, and European beach cities cause massive domestic + international overlap.
Optional: Links, images, maps, or videos
