IST

R5 781 Find Cheap Flights to Istanbul Airport

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 24/1. 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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Search hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to Istanbul Airport

 
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
In the last 7 days, travellers have searched 41 299 237 times on KAYAK, and here's why:

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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 from South Africa to Istanbul

Recommended round-trip deals departing in the coming months from the most popular airlines that fly from South Africa 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
19:00 - 9:30IST-JNB
15h 30m1 stop
R9 101Lufthansa
Find Deal
Wed, Feb 5 - Wed, Feb 19
19:35 - 18:05JNB-IST
21h 30m1 stop
19:00 - 9:30IST-JNB
15h 30m1 stop
R9 157Lufthansa
Find Deal
Wed, Feb 5 - Wed, Feb 19
13:20 - 7:05JNB-IST
16h 45m1 stop
20:10 - 15:35IST-JNB
20h 25m1 stop
R10 164Qatar Airways
Find Deal
Thu, Jan 16 - Wed, Jan 29
14:35 - 5:00JNB-IST
13h 25m1 stop
0:05 - 13:10IST-JNB
14h 05m1 stop
R10 407Ethiopian Air
Find Deal
Mon, Feb 3 - Tue, Feb 11
20:00 - 12:20JNB-IST
15h 20m1 stop
13:50 - 9:25IST-JNB
20h 35m1 stop
R10 519Qatar Airways
Find Deal
Tue, Mar 4 - Thu, Mar 20
14:35 - 5:00JNB-IST
13h 25m1 stop
0:05 - 13:10IST-JNB
14h 05m1 stop
R10 556Ethiopian Air
Find Deal
Wed, Feb 5 - Tue, Feb 18
22:20 - 21:55JNB-IST
22h 35m1 stop
23:40 - 10:25IST-JNB
35h 45m1 stop
R10 724Emirates
Find Deal
Thu, Jan 30 - Wed, Feb 5
22:20 - 17:55JNB-IST
18h 35m1 stop
23:20 - 16:15IST-JNB
17h 55m1 stop
R11 171Emirates
Find Deal
Sat, Apr 19 - Sat, Apr 26
19:05 - 6:20JNB-IST
10h 15mdirect
1:50 - 10:45IST-JNB
9h 55mdirect
R11 805Turkish Airlines
Find Deal
Wed, Feb 5 - Tue, Feb 18
19:05 - 6:20JNB-IST
10h 15mdirect
1:50 - 10:45IST-JNB
9h 55mdirect
R11 824Turkish Airlines
Find Deal
Wed, Feb 12 - Tue, Feb 18

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 Airport?

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 Airport was found on the route from Johannesburg, at R169 732 return. The most popular connection is from Cape Town to Istanbul Airport and KAYAK users have found return deals for as low as R10 705 in the last 3 days.

How much is a flight to Istanbul Airport?

The average and cheapest price for all round-trip flights to Istanbul Airport from each origin found by users searching on KAYAK in the last month.
A flight to Istanbul Airport costs R12 452 on average. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks cost R6 162 and departed from Durban. The most popular routes on KAYAK are Johannesburg to Istanbul Airport which costs R14 819 on average, and Durban to Istanbul Airport, which costs R19 347 on average.
See prices from:

What is the cheapest day to fly to Istanbul?

The average price of all round-trip flights to Istanbul Airport clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.
Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to Istanbul is Thursday where round-trip tickets can be as cheap as R11 504. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Friday, where round-trip prices are R12 043 on average.

What is the cheapest month to fly to Istanbul Airport?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for flights to Istanbul Airport, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the median of all values for each month.
The cheapest month for flights to Istanbul Airport is February, where tickets cost R11 022 on average for return flights. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and June, where the average cost of tickets from South Africa is R15 796 and R14 920 respectively. For one-way flights, the best month to travel is February with an average price of R11 637.

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

The average price for all round-trip flights to Istanbul Airport 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 Airport is generally at night, when round-trip flights cost R10 656 on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to Istanbul Airport is generally in the evening, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is R13 070.

What is a good deal for flights to Istanbul Airport?

If you’re looking for cheap airfare to Istanbul Airport, 25% of our users found tickets to Istanbul Airport for the following prices or less: From Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport R12 560 return, from Cape Town R13 423 return, from Durban R13 527 return.

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

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights to Istanbul Airport, 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.

Good to know

Low season

February

High season

September

Cheapest flight

R5 781
Best time to beat the crowds (11% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly (1% more expensive on average)
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 Airport flights

  • What is the cheapest flight to Istanbul Airport?

    In the last 3 days, the cheapest flight deal to Istanbul Airport was found on the route from Johannesburg, at R169 732 return. The most popular connection is from Cape Town to Istanbul Airport and KAYAK users have found return deals for as low as R10 705 in the last 3 days.

  • How far is Istanbul Airport from central Istanbul?

    There are 34 km between Istanbul city centre and Istanbul Airport.

  • How much is a flight to Istanbul?

    On average, a flight to Istanbul costs R12 452. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks cost R6 162 and departed from Durban King Shaka Intl Airport.

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

    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 Airport.

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Istanbul Airport 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 Airport?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional return ticket. You could then fly to Istanbul Airport 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 Airport?

    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 Airport 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 Airport are there each week?

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

See more FAQs

Top tips for finding cheap flights to Istanbul Airport

  • Looking for cheap airfare to Istanbul Airport? 25% of our users found return tickets to Istanbul Airport for the following prices or less: From Durban R10 291, from Johannesburg OR Tambo R23 483, from Cape Town R26 423
  • 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 Airport flight deals.
See more tips

Prefer to fly direct to Istanbul?

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

Direct departures

South Africa to Istanbul

Monday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +106 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +107 more

Tuesday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +108 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +109 more

Wednesday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +108 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +109 more

Thursday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +111 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +112 more

Friday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +109 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +110 more

Saturday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +108 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +109 more

Sunday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +108 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +109 more

See more direct flights

Direct returns

Istanbul to South Africa

Monday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +106 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +107 more

Tuesday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +108 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +109 more

Wednesday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +108 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +109 more

Thursday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +111 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +112 more

Friday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +109 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +110 more

Saturday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +108 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +109 more

Sunday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +108 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +109 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 3376 reviews
8,0Comfort
8,1Boarding
8,2Entertainment
7,9Food
8,3Crew
Airline reviews

Boarding, seats, entertainment and service were all great. Food was great except for the fact that there were too many sweet items.

10,0 ExcellentAnil, Dec 2024ORD - DXB
Read more Emirates reviews

Boarding, seats, entertainment and service were all great. Food was great except for the fact that there were too many sweet items.

Ticket price is competitive, flight time is punctual, aircraft cabin is clean, food is average. Can improve on serving system of meals on a A380 airbus. I had only 15 min to eat my meal. There are lots of people to serve & took a while for food to make it down to my row.

Poor flight aircraft very old Crew was friendly 1 person though

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

The entire crew was amazing. They went out of their way to make us enjoy a great travel experience.

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!

The food was amazing on our flight. So many options for movies and shows to stay entertained for 12 hours.

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.

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

There was not enough food for everybody. Some dishes were missing.

Being a QR Platinum member traveling in business class, I expected the staff to be more courteous. Unfortunately, the lady staff was rude attending business class 1K side.

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

Between Air India and Qatar my luggage was lost for three days. I eventually found my own luggage location using the Apple Air Tag. Air India used a paper form to report my lost luggage. I could never get past getting past luggage personnel with my report number before they would hang up on me. Only after them specifically telling Air India at Chandigarh airport where my luggage was located which was right under their noses did they react. After three days I finally received my luggage. The Air India luggage folks didn’t seem proactive in finding the luggage’s rightful owner.

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

They made us deliberate waste time by holding our passports and boarding passes making us miss the flight

I staff or crew they were very friendly and humbly, they done theirs service very well, I appreciate them and thank you to the company or Qatar 🇶🇦 Government for providing as good service in their flight ,once again, thank you 😊 🙏 😀 😉 👍

Overall it was a very good experience. Boarding was efficient and well organized. The cabin crew were excellent. The meals were tasty and quite filling. The warm bread rolls were a nice touch. Seats were comfortable even if they were a little narrow. Entertainment selection was excellent.

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

Likes: on time departure, new plane Didn’t like:very poor quality food, very limited entertainment.no amenity kit etc.

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.

The seat was like there is no leg space....there were no proper option for food in the airline. It seemed like the airline was at brink of bankruptcy. The crew was helpful except for a few.

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

I did not have a good experience in both flights of Etihad. First of all, when I was booking the flight, there were two options. The first option was a cheaper flight with longer layover (9 hrs), or a more expensive flight with shorter layover (2 hrs). I booked the expensive flight with shorter layover because I wanted a more comfortable trip. A few days before the trip, Etihad informed me that the departure time of my first flight will change 7 hours earlier, leading to an 9 hour layover, without giving me another option nor reimbursing me for the extra cost. They didn’t even send me an apologetic email for this change. Regarding the flight experience, I would rate it as mediocre. This is mostly because the pilots of both flights did their best to give us the worst approach to airports that I have ever experienced. In the case of the first flight they had to aboard the landing and took off again right before touching the landing strip. The captain said that it was due to wind conditions but the second time the pilot followed the same direction as the first time to land the plane.

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.

Seat selection screen while online check-in could include free seats to choose from and show the options before we proceed. Currently, it is auto-allocated and there are no options for free seat selections.

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

1st of all on February 27th Abu Dhabi to Delhi flight the seat wasn't comfortable at all, coming back the Lounge at Abu Dhabi didn't have anything. Than the Food in the flight

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.

Horrible, they forgot our luggage, the food was terrible, the crew were rude, the flight was delayed, I hated every aspect of this flight

The flight was delayed so connection was missed. In Istanbul we were taken to a hotel and no one in the hotel knew so we had to wait hours in the lobby of the hotel while the airline and hotel coordinated. The airline staff is rude at times

Istanbul to Miami is a very long flight, somewhat uncomfortable, especially because the seating offers very limited space outside of business class.

Very old plane on the Istanbul to Bangkok flight, had an emergency exit isle row, no where to put anything, on a plus point loads of leg room. Food was the best I have had in 39 years of flying.

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 flight delayef for over 2 hours so my route was changed leading to arriving to my destination without my luggage

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.

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: It arrived, Dislike: Boarding was a separate corridor with no counter announcements at the passenger waiting area. Very dirty airplane and toilets, food options were terrible - everything even the vegetarian option was a curry spice. Many other passengers using the toilets would not lock the door and kept door partially open during use - flight attendants would not enforce or direct them to lock it and light turns on, no entertainment options at all, other passengers would be singing and not peaceful. Atrocious flight experience.

There where no ear phones provided and the food needs to improve.

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.
5/2Wed
1 stopLufthansa
21h 30mJNB-IST
19/2Wed
1 stopLufthansa
15h 30mIST-JNB
R9 101
5/2Wed
1 stopLufthansa
21h 30mJNB-IST
19/2Wed
1 stopLufthansa
15h 30mIST-JNB
R9 157
16/1Thu
1 stopQatar Airways
16h 45mJNB-IST
29/1Wed
1 stopQatar Airways
20h 25mIST-JNB
R10 164
3/2Mon
1 stopEthiopian Air
13h 25mJNB-IST
11/2Tue
1 stopEthiopian Air
14h 05mIST-JNB
R10 407
4/3Tue
1 stopQatar Airways
15h 20mJNB-IST
20/3Thu
1 stopQatar Airways
20h 35mIST-JNB
R10 518
5/2Wed
1 stopEthiopian Air
13h 25mJNB-IST
18/2Tue
1 stopEthiopian Air
14h 05mIST-JNB
R10 556
30/1Thu
1 stopEmirates
22h 35mJNB-IST
5/2Wed
1 stopEmirates
35h 45mIST-JNB
R10 724
19/4Sat
1 stopEmirates
18h 35mJNB-IST
26/4Sat
1 stopEmirates
17h 55mIST-JNB
R11 171
5/2Wed
directTurkish Airlines
10h 15mJNB-IST
18/2Tue
directTurkish Airlines
9h 55mIST-JNB
R11 805
12/2Wed
directTurkish Airlines
10h 15mJNB-IST
18/2Tue
directTurkish Airlines
9h 55mIST-JNB
R11 824

Search by stops

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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.
24/1Fri
1 stopQatar Airways
32h 50mJNB-IST
R5 781
16/2Sun
1 stopQatar Airways
22h 45mCPT-IST
R5 987
24/1Fri
2 stops
32h 55mJNB-IST
R6 695
24/1Fri
directTurkish Airlines
10h 15mJNB-IST
R7 516
24/2Mon
1 stopEmirates
27h 50mCPT-IST
R8 467
23/1Thu
2 stopsEthiopian Air
24h 00mJNB-IST
R9 250
24/2Mon
directTurkish Airlines
11h 20mCPT-IST
R15 386
6/1Mon
1 stopEmirates
25h 45mDUR-IST
R22 865
13/5Tue
2 stopsEthiopian Air
26h 45mCPT-IST
R27 285
6/1Mon
1 stopKLM
31h 50mCPT-IST
R28 031

Search by stops

Search by airline

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.
31/12Tue
multi-stopLufthansa
21h 30mJNB-IST
13/1Mon
multi-stopLufthansa
15h 35mIST-JNB
R18 034
1/1Wed
multi-stopRwandAir
24h 50mJNB-IST
8/1Wed
multi-stopRwandAir
37h 30mIST-JNB
R18 202
31/12Tue
multi-stopEthiopian Air
40h 20mJNB-IST
7/1Tue
multi-stopEthiopian Air
49h 45mIST-JNB
R19 881
31/12Tue
multi-stopEthiopian Air
29h 00mJNB-IST
7/1Tue
multi-stopEthiopian Air
20h 55mIST-JNB
R20 067
1/1Wed
multi-stopQatar Airways
22h 45mCPT-IST
18/1Sat
multi-stopQatar Airways
28h 35mIST-CPT
R23 238
1/1Wed
directTurkish Airlines
11h 20mCPT-IST
7/1Tue
directTurkish Airlines
11h 05mIST-CPT
R27 919
1/1Wed
directTurkish Airlines
11h 20mCPT-IST
8/1Wed
directTurkish Airlines
11h 05mIST-CPT
R34 577
3/1Fri
multi-stopQatar Airways
32h 05mJNB-IST
11/1Sat
multi-stopQatar Airways
20h 35mIST-JNB
R36 535
31/12Tue
multi-stopEmirates
28h 05mJNB-IST
12/1Sun
multi-stopEmirates
33h 35mIST-JNB
R39 594
31/12Tue
multi-stopEmirates
18h 35mJNB-IST
12/1Sun
multi-stopEmirates
20h 00mIST-JNB
R43 156

Search by stops

Search by airline

Search by price

Everything you need to know for your flight to Istanbul

Information on the airport you'll fly into in Istanbul

Not what you’re looking for? Find thousands of other hotels, flights and car hire with KAYAK.