R5 401 Find Cheap Flights to Istanbul

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight to Istanbul departing on 8/4. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel. Click the price to replicate the search for this deal.
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These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results for flights to Istanbul
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results for flights to Istanbul
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Cheap Flight Deals to Istanbul

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for return flights to Istanbul that are departing in the next months. While these flights were available on KAYAK in the last 72 hours, prices and availability are subject to change and deals may expire.

Recent return flight deals to Istanbul

Recommended return deals departing in the coming months from the most popular airlines that fly to Istanbul.
Discover the best prices and deals for you by selecting your travel dates.
Choose your dates
19:35 - 18:05JNB-IST
21h 30m1 stop
6:50 - 9:30IST-JNB
27h 40m1 stop
R9 172Lufthansa
Find Deal
Wed, Feb 5 - Wed, Feb 19
19:35 - 18:05JNB-IST
21h 30m1 stop
6:50 - 7:05IST-JNB
25h 15m2 stops
R9 589Lufthansa
Find Deal
Wed, Feb 5 - Wed, Feb 19
13:20 - 12:25JNB-SAW
22h 05m1 stop
20:10 - 9:25SAW-JNB
14h 15m1 stop
R9 703Qatar Airways
Find Deal
Tue, Mar 4 - Thu, Mar 20
13:35 - 18:35JNB-SAW
28h 00m1 stop
20:05 - 16:10SAW-JNB
21h 05m1 stop
R9 779Qatar Airways
Find Deal
Thu, May 15 - Fri, May 23
14:35 - 5:00JNB-IST
13h 25m1 stop
23:55 - 13:10IST-JNB
14h 15m1 stop
R10 518Ethiopian Air
Find Deal
Mon, Feb 24 - Mon, Mar 10
14:35 - 5:00JNB-IST
13h 25m1 stop
0:05 - 13:10IST-JNB
14h 05m1 stop
R11 219Ethiopian Air
Find Deal
Wed, Feb 5 - Tue, Feb 18
17:55 - 4:45JNB-IST
9h 50mdirect
1:50 - 10:35IST-JNB
9h 45mdirect
R11 939Turkish Airlines
Find Deal
Fri, May 16 - Sun, May 25
19:05 - 6:10JNB-IST
10h 05mdirect
1:50 - 10:45IST-JNB
9h 55mdirect
R11 996Turkish Airlines
Find Deal
Wed, Mar 12 - Tue, Mar 25
18:25 - 21:55CPT-IST
26h 30m1 stop
1:50 - 11:40IST-CPT
34h 50m1 stop
R12 072Emirates
Find Deal
Wed, Feb 19 - Wed, Feb 26
18:25 - 18:30CPT-IST
23h 05m1 stop
1:50 - 11:40IST-CPT
34h 50m1 stop
R12 166Emirates
Find Deal
Wed, Feb 19 - Tue, Feb 25

Flights to Istanbul - Travel Insights & Trends

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights to Istanbul to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

What is the cheapest flight to Istanbul?

These are the best round-trip prices found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 72 hours.
In the last 3 days, the cheapest flight deal to Istanbul was found on the route from Johannesburg, at R173 815 return. The most popular connection is from Cape Town to Istanbul and KAYAK users have found return deals for as low as R10 404 in the last 3 days.

How much is a flight to Istanbul?

The average and cheapest price for all round-trip flights to Istanbul from each origin found by users searching on KAYAK in the last month.
A flight to Istanbul costs R12 075 on average. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks cost R6 269 and departed from Durban. The most popular routes on KAYAK are Johannesburg to Istanbul which costs R14 056 on average, and Durban to Istanbul, which costs R19 659 on average.
See prices from:

What is the cheapest day to fly to Istanbul?

The average price of all round-trip flights to Istanbul clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.
Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to Istanbul is Tuesday where round-trip tickets can be as cheap as R11 685. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Saturday, where round-trip prices are R12 214 on average.

What is the cheapest time of day to fly to Istanbul?

The average price for all round-trip flights to Istanbul depending on the time of departure, clicked by users on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks.
The cheapest time of day to fly to Istanbul is generally at night, when round-trip flights cost R10 828 on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to Istanbul is generally in the evening, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is R13 281.

What is a good deal for flights to Istanbul?

If you’re looking for cheap airfare to Istanbul, 25% of our users found tickets to Istanbul for the following prices or less: From Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport R12 632 return, from Cape Town R13 570 return, from Durban R13 983 return.

How far in advance should I book a flight to Istanbul?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights to Istanbul, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the average of all the values for each week.
To get a below average price, you should book around 3 weeks before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 5 weeks before departure.

Which is the cheapest airport to fly into in Istanbul?

Prices will differ depending on the departure airport, but generally, the cheapest airport to fly to in Istanbul is Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport (SAW), with an average flight price of R3 907.

Good to know

Cheapest flight

R5 401
Flight from Johannesburg to Istanbul Airport

When to book flights to Istanbul

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel to Istanbul based on our flight data from the last year. Discover the cheapest month and even day to fly.
Estimated return price
KAYAK looks at all historical flight data for each date to provide a predicted price for one-way trips or returns with a duration up to 40 days. The information is for flights to Istanbul based on your location. While we try to provide actual minimum prices for each date, some prices are predictions and actual prices may differ.

FAQs - booking Istanbul flights

  • What is the cheapest flight to Istanbul?

    In the last 3 days, the cheapest flight deal to Istanbul was found on the route from Johannesburg, at R173 815 return. The most popular connection is from Cape Town to Istanbul and KAYAK users have found return deals for as low as R10 404 in the last 3 days.

  • Which Istanbul airport is closest to central Istanbul?

    Out of the 2 airports in Istanbul, Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport is the nearest to the city center (32 km). You'll travel 34 km to reach the center of Istanbul if you land in Istanbul Airport

  • How much is a flight to Istanbul?

    On average, a flight to Istanbul costs R12 075. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks cost R6 269 and departed from Durban King Shaka Intl Airport.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights to Istanbul?

    KAYAK is a travel search engine. That means we look across the web to find the best prices we can find for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights to Istanbul.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket to Istanbul?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Istanbul is likely to change within 7 days, so travellers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights to Istanbul?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional round-trip ticket. You could then fly to Istanbul with an airline and back with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight to Istanbul?

    Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying to Istanbul up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

  • How many direct flights to Istanbul are there each week?

    Each week there are around 14 direct flights from within South Africa to Istanbul. The most common day for departures is Wednesday, with 14% of flights taking off on this day.

See more FAQs

Top tips for finding cheap flights to Istanbul

  • Book at least 1 week before departure in order to get a below-average price.
  • High season is considered to be January, November and December. The cheapest month to fly from South Africa is February.
  • Enter your preferred departure airport and travel dates into the search form above to unlock the latest Istanbul flight deals.

Prefer to fly direct to Istanbul?

Find which airlines fly direct to Istanbul, which days they fly and book direct flights.

Direct departures

South Africa to Istanbul

Monday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +117 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +118 more

Tuesday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +115 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +116 more

Wednesday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +114 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +115 more

Thursday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +117 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +118 more

Friday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +117 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +118 more

Saturday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +117 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +118 more

Sunday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +116 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +117 more

See more direct flights

Direct returns

Istanbul to South Africa

Monday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +117 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +118 more

Tuesday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +115 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +116 more

Wednesday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +114 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +115 more

Thursday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +117 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +118 more

Friday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +117 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +118 more

Saturday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +117 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +118 more

Sunday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +116 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +117 more

See more direct flights
See more direct flights

Top 5 airlines flying to Istanbul

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying to Istanbul. Airline scores are aggregated from all reviews left by passengers on KAYAK after flying with an airline from South Africa to Istanbul. KAYAK doesn’t show reviews that are older than 5 years. Learn how KAYAK collects reviews.
Need help choosing which airline to fly with to Istanbul? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to verified KAYAK customer reviews.
8,1
EmiratesOverall score based on 3345 reviews
8,2Entertainment
8,1Boarding
8,3Crew
7,9Food
8,0Comfort
Airline reviews

Comfort and customer service from most if the crew was great. The crew reassigning passengers should consider the presence of infants when reassigning seats. Unfortunately a couple of oversized passengers were relocated next to us, making this segment a bit uncomfortable, as there was not only extra leg space required. I ended up swapping seats with my husband so our baby wouldn't be impacted. My husband travelled quite uncomfortable as the reassigned neighbour shoulder and arm ended up on my husband's seat

6,0 GoodAnna, Dec 2024ADL - DXB
Read more Emirates reviews

Comfort and customer service from most if the crew was great. The crew reassigning passengers should consider the presence of infants when reassigning seats. Unfortunately a couple of oversized passengers were relocated next to us, making this segment a bit uncomfortable, as there was not only extra leg space required. I ended up swapping seats with my husband so our baby wouldn't be impacted. My husband travelled quite uncomfortable as the reassigned neighbour shoulder and arm ended up on my husband's seat

The service on board was excellent, the flight wasn’t overbooked and we departed and arrived on time.

Poor flight aircraft very old Crew was friendly 1 person though

Very bad groud crew taking bags less than 7kg Bad food Old plane

‏One of the worst flights I took in My life, delays after delays, then the AC is not working and we were living in a sauna,& we were sweating like pigs. and this even before take off. Next we arrived late one hour late, baggage claims worse than the delay itself add to that one more hour to get our luggage. I am extremely disappointed and my experience is I’m never going to fly on Emirates airline. Immigration was the only good thing about this trip. It took us seven minutes to go through to the luggage claims.

The flight experience was good, but connection time was cut shorted because of delayed start.. it would have been helpful if the flight showed which gate/terminal we need to go for connecting flight and flight timing was less than 30 minutes to connect which made ourselves stressful to catch next flight 😔

Most aspects of the flight were great! The entertainment was mediocre, though, which made such a long flight less enjoyable.

No Vegetarian options onboard, made to wait for a long time for boarding

More than two hours delay I could not do my tax refund because of the delay to check in They lost my luggage

The food was pretty good and the crew were excellent. It would have been excellent all round but for screaming children. Six hours at least of a 10 hr flight. Mostly 1 child clearly on the spectrum and probably ADHD but I really felt for the parents and grandparents who were obviously struggling and doing the best they could under the circumstances. No reflection on the airline of course and we all need to be more tolerant with these challenges . Slept for 15 hrs when I got home.

Worst air experience in whole life . Boarding and checking was hassle as they did 3 times. Crew team was clueless about passengers need. Despite of passengers raising hand , they were resetting the program

Overall good. Food choice in business class is a concern as same dishes on every flight for months. Crew is great and seats on this sector were fine . They need to have more variety in dining

Qatar Airways in-flight first/business class service is superior to any US airline; excellent meals are served on short haul flights such as between DXB and DOH.

Was downgraded from business to economy due to a faulty seat in business class. However when I boarded the plane there were no less than 5 free business class seats. Will never fly Qatar Airways again

Delayed my flights and no communication. We end up spending 6 hrs in Doha. No food or any concern from the airline. Terrible

Moved seats, didn't accommodate requests to change seats even though other seats were available.

As gold member there is no priority checkin. Meaning you either have to board with your zone or last with business class pax. As economy pax all the baggage bays are filled by the time you arrive

Flight was fine overall. What you would expect from economy seats. I did appreciate the amenities (eyemask, earplugs, small toothbrush and toothpaste, thin socks).

Food was good, attendants were friendly. Seats were not comfortable. Did not receive any amenities such as eyemask or earplugs that would have helped sleep. Additionally a large group of passengers boarded very late into boarding and were a disruption for almost the whole flight. Flight attendants did their best but the kids were making so much noise, kicking seats, and half the time no adult was sat with them so they weren’t being managed.

Don't be afraid if you board an Oman Air Airbus A330 - it will take you to Colombo and not Muskat. The Aircraft is leased by Qatar Airways ;-)

Should have had business class line in immigration. Food quality suboptimal

Used to Etihad employees are very rude and unprofessional but now better than before over all is okay now

This flight was a dreamliner so I think the space was ok for the legs, but the option for food was again limited and the crew was same.

Bad. Flight was very uncomfortable with narrow and shallow seats, very little food and water. I will not fly etihad again.

Needs better seat for business class. My seat was falling apart. Also no WiFi on that flight

The flight was delayed which cause me to miss my connecting flight in AbuDhsbi airport.

Only 1 time food and drinks together was offered, for total 5 hours duration drinks and snacks was never offered. For some people food choice was not available, only veg was available. No entertainment option was there. Crew members were mostly back of the flight asking each other for KitKat and chips to share between them.

Etihad flight sector is a local . .give the same quality upto destination

Long way to improve. Toilets not working. Bad handling when flight was canceled

The business class experience is fantastic. The crew were polite but often unavailable even when I tried to call them! I even found myself bringing my used dishes and cutlery up to the crew because no one had come to collect it after over an hour.

I liked the ability to walk and stand in the crew area. I hated the security check experience before boarding. The airport staff were so rude, yelling at us unnecessarily, delaying us on purpose, and even threatening to call the police on us!

Cleanliness of seats, trays, storage pockets need more attention, but everything else was good.

A great airline, no complaints at all. My experience with Cheap Tickets was very disappointing however. Two hours after purchasing the flight they called to tell me that the ticket price had gone up. I’ve never heard of such a thing. That is called false advertising; I will never use this ticketing service again and will warn all friends to never use it.

One of the worst check in process at the DIA as well as the boarding counter Changed seat at the last minute and assigned middle seat while I paid for window seat. Requested many times but to no avail . horrible customer service and very poor process Requesting refund for seat that was changed last minute

Good overall flight. Excellent crew. Food options could be improved.

The trip had a 19 hour layover, and no hotel accommodation was provided. This a shame for an airline to do to their customers. I will not only stop flying with Turkish Airlines, I will make sure anyone I know avoid Turkish Airlines because of how lousy their layover system is.

Vegan food tasted good. Restroom could be kept cleaner. Seat tray table was a bit tilted so food tray kept sliding down a bit. Flight crew can be a little more friendly, caring and approachable. Their faces lacked smiles and tone was stern.

The flight starts at 7am from New Delhi, a supremely inconvenient time, especially, if you are coming from another smaller city. Please consider moving it to 4am or 5am.

Their weakness is in boarding. Business class rarely boards first and there are no announcements explaining delays, so customers are always left waiting and wondering why boarding has paused.

Flight was delayed then we had to redirect for medical emergency during which time we had no information on what is the plan. The connecting flight was also delayed.

The plane was overbooked and the crew was very rude. My luggage was never put on the plane. I got to NY and waited 2 hours just to find out that my luggage was left.

Terrible customer service I lost my bag luggage and I still haven’t received any information

I liked nothing of Ethiopian airlines except the price of the fare.

Food was really not appealing. There was a blocked sink in the toilet. Toilet is cramped and the wall between the 2 toilets are not secured properly.

I felt all of the food tasted the same. And we had five meals over the 16 hrs in the air.

The use of a domestic carrier without entertainment was disappointing and a let down

Plane was late with no information or announcement … had to walk up n downstairs.., had not communicated this … and ppl had suitcase to carry .

Like: Plane made it to the destination. Dislike: Food is terrible, no entertainment, very dirty airplane.

I had a full row so can't imagine how this could be better

Boarding was delayed and people were just sitting there like lost.

Book Cheap Istanbul Plane Tickets

Recent return flight deals

 
These are the cheapest return flights to Istanbul found on KAYAK in the last 72 hours.
5/2Wed
1 stopLufthansa
21h 30mJNB-IST
19/2Wed
1 stopLufthansa
27h 40mIST-JNB
R9 172
5/2Wed
1 stopLufthansa
21h 30mJNB-IST
19/2Wed
2 stopsLufthansa
25h 15mIST-JNB
R9 589
4/3Tue
1 stopQatar Airways
22h 05mJNB-SAW
20/3Thu
1 stopQatar Airways
14h 15mSAW-JNB
R9 703
15/5Thu
1 stopQatar Airways
28h 00mJNB-SAW
23/5Fri
1 stopQatar Airways
21h 05mSAW-JNB
R9 779
24/2Mon
1 stopEthiopian Air
13h 25mJNB-IST
10/3Mon
1 stopEthiopian Air
14h 15mIST-JNB
R10 518
5/2Wed
1 stopEthiopian Air
13h 25mJNB-IST
18/2Tue
1 stopEthiopian Air
14h 05mIST-JNB
R11 219
16/5Fri
directTurkish Airlines
9h 50mJNB-IST
25/5Sun
directTurkish Airlines
9h 45mIST-JNB
R11 939
12/3Wed
directTurkish Airlines
10h 05mJNB-IST
25/3Tue
directTurkish Airlines
9h 55mIST-JNB
R11 996
19/2Wed
1 stopEmirates
26h 30mCPT-IST
26/2Wed
1 stopEmirates
34h 50mIST-CPT
R12 072
19/2Wed
1 stopEmirates
23h 05mCPT-IST
25/2Tue
1 stopEmirates
34h 50mIST-CPT
R12 166

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Recent one-way flight deals

 
Only flying one-way? Below are some of the best deals for one-way flights to Istanbul found on KAYAK in the last 72 hours.
8/4Tue
1 stopQatar Airways
32h 45mJNB-IST
R5 401
16/2Sun
1 stopQatar Airways
22h 20mJNB-SAW
R5 477
12/6Thu
1 stopEtihad Airways
19h 25mJNB-IST
R6 254
3/3Mon
1 stopEtihad Airways
19h 35mJNB-IST
R6 462
8/4Tue
directTurkish Airlines
9h 50mJNB-IST
R7 391
6/3Thu
directTurkish Airlines
10h 05mJNB-IST
R7 448
28/2Fri
1 stopEmirates
23h 05mCPT-IST
R8 338
15/2Sat
2 stopsEthiopian Air
24h 00mJNB-IST
R8 585
1/3Sat
2 stopsEthiopian Air
24h 00mJNB-IST
R8 812
27/2Thu
1 stopEmirates
23h 45mCPT-IST
R8 869

Search by stops

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Search by price

Last minute flights to Istanbul

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

 
These last-minute flight deals are the cheapest flights found on KAYAK in the last 72 hours for flights to Istanbul that are departing in the next 10 days.
15/1Wed
multi-stopQatar Airways
22h 30mCPT-IST
12/2Wed
multi-stopQatar Airways
15h 30mIST-CPT
R12 261
20/1Mon
multi-stopTurkish Airlines
13h 05mDUR-IST
30/1Thu
multi-stopTurkish Airlines
12h 40mIST-DUR
R12 337
20/1Mon
multi-stop
23h 35mDUR-SAW
31/1Fri
multi-stop
43h 55mSAW-DUR
R13 246
15/1Wed
multi-stopQatar Airways
16h 10mCPT-IST
12/2Wed
multi-stopQatar Airways
27h 40mIST-CPT
R13 644
15/1Wed
multi-stopEthiopian Air
29h 45mCPT-IST
11/2Tue
multi-stopEthiopian Air
14h 40mIST-CPT
R14 592
15/1Wed
multi-stop
20h 05mCPT-IST
12/2Wed
multi-stop
19h 50mIST-CPT
R15 293
20/1Mon
multi-stopEmirates
20h 05mDUR-SAW
31/1Fri
multi-stopEmirates
53h 35mSAW-DUR
R15 824
19/1Sun
multi-stopEmirates
27h 50mCPT-IST
31/1Fri
multi-stopEmirates
20h 15mIST-CPT
R15 881
19/1Sun
multi-stopEthiopian Air
27h 00mCPT-IST
31/1Fri
multi-stopEthiopian Air
25h 30mIST-CPT
R18 553
15/1Wed
multi-stopBritish Airways
23h 45mCPT-SAW
12/2Wed
multi-stopBritish Airways
23h 40mSAW-CPT
R164 794

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Everything you need to know for your flight to Istanbul

Cabin class types available on flights to Istanbul

Cabin classes available on flights to Istanbul. Prices are the lowest found on KAYAK over the last 7 days. Price and availability is not guaranteed.

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