Most of the international flights to Turkey arrives to Istanbul Ataturk Airport which is at almost the end of this large city on the European side. This is OK for many because much of the tourist attractions in Istanbul is on this side of the Bosphorus. But if your destination is Asian side or other cities near Istanbul such as Bursa, Izmit and Sakarya then you will need to “cross the bridge”. This may mean hours of drive in traffic as well as other conveniences (there is no direct airport shuttle from Istanbul Ataturk Airport to Anatolian side of the city and it will cost a lot to take taxi to there).
Recently, I have taken a flight from Singapore to Istanbul on Qatar Airways and landed in Istanbul Ataturk Airport while my final destination was Umraniye on the Asian side. I had to take a 2 hours long public transportation to reach there (yes I am stingy). If there was a Sabiha Gokcen flight I would just take a shorter airport shuttle and then taxi.
Fortunately, increasing number of international flights are arriving to Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport. Qatar Airways is the last one and one of the few which opens Asian side of İstanbul to long-haul international flights from Africa and Far East. By May 22 2014, the Doha based airline will fly to Sabiha Gokcen. The 4x weekly flights will be served by Airbus A320 aircraft in 2 class configuration with 12 Business Class and 132 Economy Class seats.
This will allow passengers to access Asian side of Istanbul as well as some other major industrial cities in Marmara region such as Izmit, Sakarya and Bursa. And not only Qatar Airways passangers: the airline has recently joined oneworld global airline alliance which is the third largest in the world. Oneworld members include American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, LAN Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas.
Qatar Airways have started flying to Turkey in 2004 with the commence of Doha – İstanbul Ataturk Airport flights. Increased demand resulted in introduction of Ankara – Doha flights in 2010. In 2013, Qatar Airways has responded to increased demand for flights to Turkey by replacing narrow body Airbus A320 aircraft on Istanbul route with wide body Airbus A330 and increasing the frequency of Ankara – Doha flights. Doha – Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen route will be the 3rd route of Qatar Airways to Turkey. With these flights total number of Qatar Airways flights to Turkey is increasing from 14 to 18.
Qatar Airways offers transfer in Doha to Istanbul which makes it a cheaper alternative to fly to Istanbul from Far East such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, China and Japan.
Recently, I have taken a flight from Singapore to Istanbul on Qatar Airways and landed in Istanbul Ataturk Airport while my final destination was Umraniye on the Asian side. I had to take a 2 hours long public transportation to reach there (yes I am stingy). If there was a Sabiha Gokcen flight I would just take a shorter airport shuttle and then taxi.
Fortunately, increasing number of international flights are arriving to Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport. Qatar Airways is the last one and one of the few which opens Asian side of İstanbul to long-haul international flights from Africa and Far East. By May 22 2014, the Doha based airline will fly to Sabiha Gokcen. The 4x weekly flights will be served by Airbus A320 aircraft in 2 class configuration with 12 Business Class and 132 Economy Class seats.
This will allow passengers to access Asian side of Istanbul as well as some other major industrial cities in Marmara region such as Izmit, Sakarya and Bursa. And not only Qatar Airways passangers: the airline has recently joined oneworld global airline alliance which is the third largest in the world. Oneworld members include American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, LAN Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas.
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| Qatar Airways will commence flights to Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport in May 2014. |
Qatar Airways offers transfer in Doha to Istanbul which makes it a cheaper alternative to fly to Istanbul from Far East such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, China and Japan.
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