![]() They depart from an open area outside arrivals, beyond the chaos of private transfers and taxis waiting for and picking up fares. Click on each destination for more information about prices and times. There are also privately run Havabus and Havaist buses from the airport to various destinations such as Kadıköy, Taksim and Istanbul Airport. You don’t want to find yourself in a long queue for the immigration desks and hear the final boarding call for your plane! I find the Google Maps calculations for how long I’ll need pretty accurate, but then I always make sure not to cut it fine because Sabiha Gokcen Airport can get very busy. However you do need to think about how much time you’ll need if you choose to use public transport, especially when you’re travelling to the airport to catch a flight. Using public transport is the most affordable way to get to and from Sabiha Gokcen International Airport, especially if you’re travelling on your own and can’t share a fare. Otherwise ride one stop further for Taksim. ![]() Catch the one going in the direction of Hacıosman and get off at Sishane if you’re staying around Galata (check out the Istanbul Place Apartments mentioned in this post) or Beyoglu. Again, once you’ve passed through the turnstiles look for signs to the M2 metro (Yenikapı – Hacıosman). Board a train heading towards Halkalı and get out at Yenikapı. Once you’ve exited through the turnstiles look for the signs to the Marmaray (another type of train). However instead of staying on until the last stop, get off at Ayrılıkçeşme station. You can even use the M4 metro if you’re staying in Taksim or around the Galata area. The ferries do a loop taking in Kadıköy, Karaköy and Eminönü. You get the M4 metro from the airport and then the same ferry. The same goes if you’re staying around Karaköy. Once there you can walk along the waterfront to Sirkeci, or take the tram up the hill to Sultanahmet. If you’re staying around Sirkeci or Sultanahmet, catch the same metro from the airport. The train trip takes just under an hour and trains run every 10 or so minutes from 6am to midnight. Once you’ve bought a card, make your way to the platform and catch the next train heading for Kadıköy. The instructions are available in several languages but if you’re stuck, I find most transit security personal very helpful, and many speak some English. If your accommodation is in Kadıköy, all you have to do is buy an Istanbul Cart from the machines at the metro station and load it for as many days as you need. The M4 metro line is the one that links Sabiha Gokcen International Airport to Kadıköy. I’m a big fan of public transport and in the last few years Istanbul has seen an increase in clean, efficient and affordable metro lines linking different parts of the city. LOCATION – getting to and from Sabiha Gokcen Airport Should you need it there’s a conference centre, a four-storey car park and a three-storey airport hotel with 128 rooms next to the terminal. If I have time I take advantage of the 9,594 square metre food court and window shop in the 3300 square metre duty free area in the departures area. Sabiha Gokcen has 74 passport counters for incoming and outgoing passengers. As soon as they’re accepted I get a message on my phone with my baggage receipt and I’m good to go. I am a big fan of online check-in because when I get to the airport all I have to do it locate the correct baggage check-in area, get the necessary tags using the self-service machines (watched by helpful English-speaking staff should you need assistance), before putting my bags on the automated scanning belts. There are 128 check-in and self-service check-in kiosks at Sabiha Gokçen Airport. With a second runway slated to open later this year and the new extension to an existing metro line opened earlier this year meaning you can easily reach Sabiha Gokcen airport by public transport, it makes sense to consider it for your destination airport the next time you book a flight to Istanbul. ![]() It’s served by a number of budget airlines, including local carrier Pegasus. Sabiha Gokcen International Airport is around 38km from Sultanahmet Square, the historical tourist centre of Istanbul. She was both a pilot and a teacher, was the first woman to fly the Focke Wulfe 190-A3 and completed 32 combat missions, for which she has her own entry in the Guinness Book of Records. ![]() She was born on 21 March 1913, and enrolled in the Military Aviation Academy in Eskisehir in 1936. I’m not an advocate of war in any form, but given the times in which she lived, her achievements were pretty impressive. Gokcen is famous in her own right because she was the first ever female combat pilot in the world, as well as the first ever Turkish female pilot. It is named after Sabiha Gokçen, one of the adopted daughters of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the modern Turkish republic. The Sabiha Gokcen International airport has been in operation over on my side of town since 2003.
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