R4 950 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 10/3. 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
20:00 - 12:25JNB-SAW
15h 25m1 stop
20:10 - 14:40SAW-JNB
19h 30m1 stop
R9 400Qatar Airways
Find Deal
Tue, Mar 4 - Thu, Mar 20
13:55 - 18:45JNB-SAW
27h 50m1 stop
13:35 - 16:10SAW-JNB
27h 35m1 stop
R9 419Qatar Airways
Find Deal
Tue, Jun 10 - Fri, Jun 13
14:35 - 5:00JNB-IST
13h 25m1 stop
23:55 - 13:05IST-JNB
14h 10m1 stop
R10 305Ethiopian Air
Find Deal
Mon, Mar 24 - Mon, Apr 7
14:35 - 5:00JNB-IST
13h 25m1 stop
23:55 - 13:05IST-JNB
14h 10m1 stop
R10 324Ethiopian Air
Find Deal
Mon, Mar 24 - Mon, Apr 7
9:55 - 13:20JNB-IST
26h 25m1 stop
7:25 - 8:35IST-JNB
26h 10m1 stop
R10 619Etihad Airways
Find Deal
Sun, Apr 20 - Sat, May 3
9:50 - 13:20JNB-IST
26h 30m1 stop
14:15 - 8:35IST-JNB
19h 20m1 stop
R10 970Etihad Airways
Find Deal
Sun, Apr 13 - Sun, Apr 20
13:25 - 18:30JNB-IST
28h 05m1 stop
1:50 - 16:35IST-JNB
15h 45m1 stop
R11 081Emirates
Find Deal
Mon, Mar 3 - Tue, Mar 11
13:25 - 14:25JNB-IST
24h 00m1 stop
1:50 - 16:35IST-JNB
15h 45m1 stop
R11 100Emirates
Find Deal
Tue, Mar 4 - Wed, Mar 19
17:55 - 4:40JNB-IST
9h 45mdirect
1:50 - 10:35IST-JNB
9h 45mdirect
R11 173Turkish Airlines
Find Deal
Wed, Jun 11 - Tue, Jun 17
17:55 - 4:40JNB-IST
9h 45mdirect
1:50 - 10:35IST-JNB
9h 45mdirect
R11 691Turkish Airlines
Find Deal
Mon, Apr 7 - Mon, Apr 14

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 604 return. The most popular connection is from Cape Town to Istanbul and KAYAK users have found return deals for as low as R10 324 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 R10 969 on average. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks cost R6 432 and departed from Durban. The most popular routes on KAYAK are Durban to Istanbul which costs R12 860 on average, and Johannesburg to Istanbul, which costs R13 319 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 R14 299. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Saturday, where round-trip prices are R15 744 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 in the morning, when round-trip flights cost R10 349 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 R14 981.

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 Durban R12 084 return, from Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport R12 287 return, from Cape Town R12 965 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 9 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 148.

Good to know

Cheapest flight

R4 950
Flight from Johannesburg to Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen 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 604 return. The most popular connection is from Cape Town to Istanbul and KAYAK users have found return deals for as low as R10 324 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 R10 969. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks cost R6 432 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, +118 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +119 more

Tuesday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +117 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +118 more

Wednesday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +116 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +117 more

Thursday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +118 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +119 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, +119 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +120 more

See more direct flights

Direct returns

Istanbul to South Africa

Monday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +118 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +119 more

Tuesday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +117 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +118 more

Wednesday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +116 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +117 more

Thursday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +118 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +119 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, +119 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +120 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 3279 reviews
8,0Comfort
8,3Crew
7,9Food
8,1Boarding
8,2Entertainment
Airline reviews

Except for the uncleaned tray, and the delay in serving food for our section (which may have been due to the location of our row) everything else was good. The crew were very professional and responded to our requests promptly throughout the flight. We as a family were not disappointed by Emirates.

10,0 ExcellentDaniel, Feb 2025BOS - DXB
Read more Emirates reviews

Except for the uncleaned tray, and the delay in serving food for our section (which may have been due to the location of our row) everything else was good. The crew were very professional and responded to our requests promptly throughout the flight. We as a family were not disappointed by Emirates.

Flight left on time. Bags came quickly. Crew was nice. But internet never worked and the food was awful.

Seat 💺 was all the way on last row. Food was okay .

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

Emeritus is ***** Fly dubai is 0 we need better service for Fly Dubai

On this flight, about the last 2 hours the captain kept the cabin too hot. It appeared like the ac was off.

Better boarding process at Hyderabad airport Better time management by air hostesses in providing the meals

Business class on this plane was adequate, service, amenities, swag, and crew was amazing!

Boarding was a mess, no one managing the queues. I got my meal as the pilot announced starting commencing descent and basic drink not available. No air bridge so takes forever to deplane the A380 onto buses.

Priority boarding for Silver and Premium Economy was very disorganised, in fact, non-existent.

I was unable to pre purchase sear upgrades or internet. Their online site is not user friendly and poor. I felt singled out in customs. Seats are very small even for a small person.

Well organized boarding, efficient and on time. Nice crew on the plane. Thank you!

I purchased Qatar airways after seeing ads about its service. To my surprise Qatar is marketing gimmick and horrible airlines which I don’t recommend to anyone Flight was dirty including flight from Miami to Doha And Doha airport restrooms are dirty On top of this they use this pathetic cheap indigo From Doha to Hyderabad which I will never fly Also they lost one of my baggage in Indigo and still waiting to receive it. I will never travel Qatar and will never recommend

Aircraft was spacious compared to American Airlines, food was great, entertainment was much better with a wide variety of options, and the crew was very polite.

Did not like anything. Seats were crammed, leg space was minimal and food was terrible. This was the first time traveling overseas in American Airlines and was the worst experience ever. Have learned a lesson to never travel in American Airlines.

Seat experience average as they use old 777 for must flights despite full load. Qr fares are higher than other airlines for same routes so they should at least upgrade the planes . Food is average and same dishes for months on most routes I travelled at least - the Arabian rice dish “Maqboos” on every flight for months - I am sure there are other food Arabian dishes ?? It’s become boring ! Crew is always good which makes up for these things but hey confirm us what we need

Do not overbook flights and kick out confirmed ticketed passengers :-(

Do I need to repeat my complaints about my lost carry on bag?

My carry on bag was taken by Alaska Air as we boarded in LAX! She said there was not room. There was plenty of room. I told her that my meds and personal items were in it. She did not care. She said it would be sent to my final destination, Nairobi. Well it got to Nairobi the day I was to fly home. The handle of my bag was crushed so could not retract. So I had to remove it. I had to buy converters, malaria medication. personal items. I filled out the missing form at the Nairobi airport. I asked that it be shipped to the Kisumu airport. When it was obviously not going to make it for my time in Kenya. I asked that it be sent to John Wayne Airport. NONE of that happened. I only knew it was at Nairobi because my air tag indicated it was finally in Nairobi the day I was leaving Kenya! Now I need to purchase a new carry on bag!!!

Noice cancelling headphones would be better since it’s a crowded plane And kids behaviors are unavoidable

Extremely bad food, they never gave our bags in time, the online check-in did not let us check in because we had Indian OCI not sure why we were given the option to check in then, because we couldn’t check in online we had to go in person and we were not able to change our seats and sit with our family

The staff were wonderful but the seats weren't very comfortable for a bigger guy like me.

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

Good. The food was very bad. Except for the chicken rice, rest of the dish went to trash.

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

Liked leg room Disliked unable to book to sit with my family on same flight without paying extra

It was my first time flying with Turkish Airlines, but I found the staff—from the airport to the cabin crew—to be somewhat dismissive and overly direct. This experience left me feeling discouraged about even considering a visit to Turkey in the future.

The fully flat bed in business class on the 777 is a little narrow, and the 2-3-2 configuration is now dated, but otherwise a comfortable and pleasant flight. It’s hard to beat the value too.

Boarding was chaotic. Cabin noisy. Temperature a bit cool. Bathrooms not cleaned enough.

The WiFi setup on the plane is needlessly cumbersome. Simplify the interface and login.

they have cancell the flight for no reasons and 24 hours my parents were in the Airport they did not give them any hotel any food, I hate Turkish Airline.

Boarding process is one of the worst i have ever seen. Poor planning and lack of experienced staff is vert apparent. Seat changes till the last minute was an added stress to the process.

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

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.

My experience was great. The flight attendants were very helpful and nice, and the food was very good.

Very bad experience flight was over 5 hours delayed 😑 not a chance to be put on another flight we had to stay at the hotel we lost 2 days on our vacation. Never again I will fligh with Ethiopian airlines.

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

The ailine departed and arrived late foe every leg of the trip, causing myself and my travel companions to miss every connecting flight. It was very unorganized given theat there was a lot of miscommunication. The flights offered are unrealistic and when you call they assure you that the plane waits for you. I missed an. entire day of my vacation and any entire day of rest back home because of the airline. I do not plan to support the airline again. Thank you

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.

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.

The food needs to improve especially the fish as there where only 3 fish cubes in my plate.

I have been flew with ET since 2013 and I wish the service can be reach standard airlines as Star Alliance member please ET you need to improve many thing on the services learn from SQ and other member

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.
4/3Tue
1 stopQatar Airways
15h 25mJNB-SAW
20/3Thu
1 stopQatar Airways
19h 30mSAW-JNB
R9 400
10/6Tue
1 stopQatar Airways
27h 50mJNB-SAW
13/6Fri
1 stopQatar Airways
27h 35mSAW-JNB
R9 419
24/3Mon
1 stopEthiopian Air
13h 25mJNB-IST
7/4Mon
1 stopEthiopian Air
14h 10mIST-JNB
R10 305
24/3Mon
1 stopEthiopian Air
13h 25mJNB-IST
7/4Mon
1 stopEthiopian Air
14h 10mIST-JNB
R10 324
20/4Sun
1 stopEtihad Airways
26h 25mJNB-IST
3/5Sat
1 stopEtihad Airways
26h 10mIST-JNB
R10 619
13/4Sun
1 stopEtihad Airways
26h 30mJNB-IST
20/4Sun
1 stopEtihad Airways
19h 20mIST-JNB
R10 970
3/3Mon
1 stopEmirates
28h 05mJNB-IST
11/3Tue
1 stopEmirates
15h 45mIST-JNB
R11 081
4/3Tue
1 stopEmirates
24h 00mJNB-IST
19/3Wed
1 stopEmirates
15h 45mIST-JNB
R11 100
11/6Wed
directTurkish Airlines
9h 45mJNB-IST
17/6Tue
directTurkish Airlines
9h 45mIST-JNB
R11 173
7/4Mon
directTurkish Airlines
9h 45mJNB-IST
14/4Mon
directTurkish Airlines
9h 45mIST-JNB
R11 691

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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.
10/3Mon
1 stopQatar Airways
22h 05mJNB-SAW
R4 950
11/3Tue
1 stopQatar Airways
26h 35mJNB-SAW
R5 005
28/4Mon
1 stopEtihad Airways
26h 30mJNB-IST
R5 818
26/7Sat
1 stopEtihad Airways
19h 15mJNB-IST
R6 759
19/5Mon
directTurkish Airlines
11h 00mCPT-IST
R7 110
19/3Wed
directTurkish Airlines
10h 05mJNB-IST
R7 129
4/3Tue
1 stopEmirates
17h 55mCPT-SAW
R8 662
4/3Tue
1 stopEmirates
19h 00mCPT-IST
R8 662
28/3Fri
1 stopEthiopian Air
29h 45mCPT-IST
R9 918
18/3Tue
3 stopsEthiopian Air
42h 10mJNB-IST
R29 383

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.
25/2Tue
multi-stopQatar Airways
32h 50mJNB-IST
3/3Mon
multi-stopQatar Airways
20h 25mIST-JNB
R10 213
25/2Tue
multi-stopLufthansa
30h 55mJNB-IST
20/3Thu
multi-stopLufthansa
27h 40mIST-JNB
R10 619
24/2Mon
multi-stopEtihad Airways
19h 35mJNB-IST
16/3Sun
multi-stopEtihad Airways
19h 10mIST-JNB
R10 952
25/2Tue
multi-stopLufthansa
30h 55mJNB-IST
17/3Mon
multi-stopLufthansa
25h 15mIST-JNB
R11 026
25/2Tue
multi-stopEmirates
19h 10mJNB-IST
2/3Sun
multi-stopEmirates
15h 45mIST-JNB
R11 081
25/2Tue
multi-stopEthiopian Air
12h 00mJNB-IST
13/3Thu
multi-stopEthiopian Air
14h 05mIST-JNB
R11 487
24/2Mon
multi-stopEthiopian Air
13h 25mJNB-IST
20/3Thu
multi-stopEthiopian Air
13h 25mIST-JNB
R11 820
23/2Sun
multi-stopEmirates
22h 20mDUR-IST
2/3Sun
multi-stopEmirates
22h 05mIST-DUR
R12 152
25/2Tue
directTurkish Airlines
10h 05mJNB-IST
2/3Sun
directTurkish Airlines
9h 55mIST-JNB
R18 247
25/2Tue
directTurkish Airlines
10h 05mJNB-IST
17/3Mon
directTurkish Airlines
9h 55mIST-JNB
R18 764

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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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