Istanbul: A Global Gateway with Endless Travel Opportunities

Turkey is situated at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Due to this special location, Istanbul and Turkey are at the heart of the world's air travel.

Obtaining a share of international passenger traffic is the only way to become a global player in the flight industry. This requires a significant transfer center. At this point, Istanbul Airport is en route to becoming the most significant hub for transfers between the USA and the Far East.

Being one of the leaders in the flight industry has several benefits, including the central point of trade, easy access to other countries, and the profitable real estate market.

What are the advantages of living in Istanbul, a transportation hub that connects to many countries?

Being in a position to quickly travel to many countries offers many benefits for daily life as well as business. In this regard, the residents of Megacity Istanbul have several benefits.

On a daily basis, being just a short flight from major cities across the world increases your options for relocating and doing business while allowing you to travel easily. The transportation hub additionally brings in a lot of airlines. Consequently, with competitive pricing, it will be simpler for you to always find lower-cost tickets along with better service.

From an economic perspective, Turkey's geostrategic position and the human resources capable of evaluating its position are among the first things that domestic investors take advantage of and foreign investors notice when they visit Turkey.

Turkish Cargo is one of the best examples in this regard. Turkish Cargo operates in the SMARTIST facility, one of the most advanced hubs in the world, combining the extensive air network around the continents with Turkey's unique geographic advantage.

A wide range of products from all over the world, from automotive to perishable foods, are first stopped by SMARTIST and are then distributed to countries in Turkish Airlines' wide flight network.

When Istanbul's exclusive geographical advantages are paired with Turkish Cargo's leadership in airline network and infrastructure investments, SMARTIST transforms into an innovative gateway for global trade.

Such commercial ventures that combine location with financial incentives have become popular in Turkey. The number of businesspeople who are evaluating this should not be underestimated as well.

Districts that make easy accessibility a profitable advantage

In addition to its strategic location, Istanbul's living advantages and the diversity it provides in all areas make the real estate market one of the most sought-after regions for both investment and long-term residence.

Some regions are more advantageous for those who want to take advantage of the city’s local and international transportation opportunities and make a good investment in Istanbul's real estate market.

The best neighborhoods to live in Istanbul for easy access to transportation on the Asian Side are Kartal, Pendik, and Kartal. These regions are close to the airport, sea, and local transportation lines.

On the European Side, Beyoğlu, Beşiktaş, and Kağıthane serve as a crossroad where all the important points of the city meet. Therefore, properties for sale on the European Side of Istanbul are very valuable and promise profitable investment opportunities.

What are the top destinations that can be reached within a 4-hour flight from Istanbul?

You can reach in three hours by direct flights to Istanbul from 41 countries and 78 cities, four hours from 53 countries and 118 cities, and five hours from 66 countries and 143 cities.

Many figures indicate that Istanbul is the hub for 66% of international airline traffic. The figures clearly show the potential of Istanbul and Türkiye. In addition, there is no other country in the region that allows you to travel to so many cities in 3 to 5 hours.

Passengers from Africa, the Far East, and Central Asia can fly directly to Europe and the USA via Istanbul Airport. Turkey is therefore a candidate to play a significant role in the global competition in the aviation sector while Istanbul is the hub of airline traffic for the entire world.

Here are some of the most popular destinations' flight times:

How to find the best flight deals from Istanbul to different countries?

The first thing you should do is to make sure you have signed up for the flight newsletters before you get started looking for tickets. You can find some of the best offers available by signing up for airline and last-minute deal websites' mailing lists.

In addition, flight bonuses are frequently offered in airline mailings. Free flights and amazing upgrades can be earned with points and miles. That’s why you should sign up for a travel rewards card.

The best option for grabbing free İstanbul flights, travel benefits, and hotel stays is through these airline loyalty programs. They include a variety of perks, including airplane upgrades, serious welcome bonuses, entry to free events, access to airport lounges, and more.

The next step is, of course, to buy tickets on certain days. For example, booking a flight during the week is usually less expensive than doing it on the weekends. As less frequent travel days of the week, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays are excellent for finding discounts.

Many airline websites have made it easy to find the best days to fly. You can check out booking websites that provide a "calendar view," which allows you to see costs for the entire week you are looking for.

And the question of how long before we need to buy tickets is asked so much. The closer you are to departure, the more expensive plane tickets become, but there is a sweet spot where prices begin to fall.

So, you better not reserve much in advance, but do not wait until the last minute either. The optimal time to purchase a flight is 2-3 months before departure, or five months before if you are traveling to a destination during its peak season.

On the other hand, there are airline companies that do not welcome this technic anymore. The further you go, the higher the price. Therefore, it may be useful to check the price policies by looking at the prices of recent and distant dates on their websites.

These are the first steps when searching for cheap flights. In this way, you can get very cheaply-priced flights to Istanbul from London or any other region around the world.