Spotting Rare and Banned Airlines in Istanbul

Istanbul Airport is a major world hub, and the home base of Turkish Airlines – the world’s most connected carrier, with a growing fleet of hundreds of aircraft.

The new airport in Istanbul is a modern facilities with big plans (and room) to grow, challenging the traditional hubs like Heathrow, Paris and Frankfurt, as well as the newer hubs in the Middle East like Dubai and Doha.

However, despite all this modernity, Istanbul is actually a place where you can see some really interesting airlines and aircraft types.

It is a place where carriers from countries that are banned in the EU and United States still fly in daily, and aircraft types that are rarely seen any more still fly in daily.

Martyn Cartledge recently visited Istanbul and provided this selection of photographs showing some of the banned and rare airliners he saw.

Yazd Airlines Airbus A310

Caspian Airlines Boeing 737-500

IR Aero SSJ 95

Iran Air Tour Airbus A310

Iran Aseman A340-300

Libyan Airlines Airbus A320

Mahan Air Airbus A340-300

Pobeda Boeing 737-800

Qeshm Airlines Airbus A300B4-605R

Red Wings SSJ 95

Rossiya Airlines SSJ 95

S7 Airlines Airbus A320

ULS Cargo Airbus A310

Azimuth Airlines SSJ 95

All photos (c) Martyn Cartledge

Have you been spotting in Istanbul’s new airport? Leave a comment below!

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