Summary
Istanbul IGA Airport offers enthusiasts an amazing variety of unusual airlines and aircraft types but, unlike its predecessor – Ataturk, it is unfortunately not an easy airport to spot or photograph at. However, there are opportunities, as Martyn Cartledge reveals in this guide.
Spotting in Turkey
Aircraft spotting is not common in Turkey and not really understood by the authorities so care and discretion should be used wherever possible.
Istanbul Airport Information
The rewards of a visit to the new Istanbul Airport are excellent with airlines rarely, if ever, seen at other European destinations such as Iran Air Tours, Iran Aseman, Qeshm, Meraj, Yazd Airlines and Caspian Airlines from Iran, and Berniq and Libyan Wings from Libya.
Many of these airlines at present are operating some classic equipment, like the Airbus A300 and A310, and McDonnell Douglas MD-80 types.
Also, given the current restrictions on the Russian federation in many other countries, it is interesting to see carriers such as Rossiya, Red Wings, S7, Azimuth, Aeroflot, IR Aero amongst others, including a plethora of even rarer Sukhoi SSJs.
CellarDoor85 This PNG graphic was created with CorelDRAW., CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Istanbul IGA airport opened in 2018 and at present has five runways in a parallel north-south direction.
A single terminal building covers all operations and flights. It has five concourses.
Spotting at Istanbul Airport
Despite spotting being not fully understood, the airport has provided an official viewing area which is unusual for Turkey or airports in this region.
Official Spotting Area
Photo (c) Istanbul Airport
The official spotter area, which is the first of its kind in Turkey, is located to the west of the airport on a hill top offering great views of the airport and in particular runways 16R/34L and 17L and 35.
The facility is currently only open on certain Saturdays between 2pm and 5pm and anyone planning to visit, must check what is the next date fill in an application form via the airport website to obtain the necessary permit before any visit.
16R/34L is the closest runway and arriving aircraft can be photographed easily. Aircraft arriving / departing on 16R/34L can also be seen and photographed although heat haze may provide a problem. The terminal building can be seen but only some stands on Concourse A as well as some stands from the Cargo City can are visible from this location. All aircraft arriving, departing or taxying will be in view.
It is interesting to note that more facilities are planned by the airport but no firm plans are, as yet, known.
Spotting Inside the Terminal
For passengers arriving or departing, great views can be had from many spots within the terminal once airside but many through two sets of windows making photography difficult.
A little bit of investigation is required here to find the best position for each shot you are wanting to take as it is possible to get right up to a single window in many areas. There are simply too many options to list here.
However, photographers will find that the end of concourse B and also D views are through single glass windows looking both towards the stands and also the taxiways. There are also some good views over the respective runways from concourse A and F.
There are 13 smoking terraces dotted throughout the terminal with one situated in between concourses B/C and D/E which has a grill that can be seen through and with a little luck also photographed through, although with a little distortion. There is also a single glass window next to entrance which gives a fantastic view of all the stands on piers B and C.
Another can be found by gate F13. There are also non-smoking terraces, one example of which is adjacent to gate F8B, with another by the Gourmet Trilogy on C concourse, but this just has a small view over some remote stands.
If you are travelling I would suggest checking in as early as possible to give you the time to explore the terminal to see as much as possible before your flight home. It is very important to always keep a check on your departure gate as it can be a long walk to the gate. It took me 25 minutes to walk from F gates to A gates!
Other Spotting Locations
If you have use of a car then it is possible to drive to a number of areas around the airport. However care must always be taken as, like mentioned earlier, spotting is not often understood by locals or more importantly by police so what follows is a short list of the places that seem to be safer than others to view and photograph from.
There are a number of spots in and around Yenikoy village to the north of the airport and therefore this area is best for runway 16R/17L arrivals. Particularly at the end of Arslan Sokak or Ozgurluk Caddesi, on or near a set of benches on Okul Sokak, and in the forest between Yenikoy and Karaburun. The village itself has a restaurant and a supermarket so it is possible to stock up with provisions needed for a hot day.
In addition, the locals seem quite accepting of people spotting.
For runways 34/35/36 then the general area to get to is the village of Arnavutkoy, south of the airport. Some of the areas here are more difficult to find so keep an eye on the landing aircraft and follow your nose!
One spot is some two miles into a forest utilising a dirt track originating near to ‘Arnavutkoy Depot area’ off a road called Fatih St, good for runway 35R. If you continue on this dirt track to a bridge there are further options which will now add 35L arrivals into what is visible. Be aware that this road is very rough and could easily become impassible in bad weather.
Fortunately there is an alternative to forested areas and dirt tracks in the form of a playground, again in Arnavutkoy which gives a view of the approaches to 34L/35R. This can even be reached via metro on line 11 getting off at Tasoluk.
Istanbul Spotting Hotels
There are no decent hotels on the airport site or perimeter (as yet) which offer views of the airport or movements.
One hotel which spotters have reported as being good is the Hampton Inn by Hilton in Arnavutköy.
This hotel is 3-4 miles from the airport, but has rooms looking towards it from which you can see aircraft arriving or departing. Some aircraft pass fairly close by the hotel and can be read off, and using apps like Flightradar24 you can tie-up all of the aircraft you see.
Odd-number rooms on the 4th floor are the best.
Summary
All in all Istanbul is an airport that needs at least one visit if possible, the byword is be wary of where you are and what you do, perhaps keeping the camera in the car until required as well as being mindful and polite with the locals.
All photos (c) Martyn Cartledge unless otherwise stated.
Do you have a spotting location at Istanbul Airport to share? Have you had any experiences with locals or the police while spotting there? Leave a comment below!
