Sabiha Gökçen Airport, Istanbul

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Istanbul's Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW) is on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus about 30 km (19 miles) southeast of Haydarpasa Station, the Kadiköy ferry dock, and the Harem intercity bus terminal.

Located between the suburbs of Kurtköy and Pendik, Sabiha Gökçen (pronounced SAH-bee-hah GURK-chen) serves low-fare and charter flights, some flights by Turkish Airlines and Pegasus Air, Corendon and other low-cost airlines, and smaller aircraft.

Note that prices for food and drink at Turkish airports tend to be very high. My quick informal survey showed them to be 40% higher than at expensive Frankfurt Airport, and twice as high as at pricey Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Transport between Sabiha Gökçen Airport and the center of Istanbul is by city bus, HAVAS Airport Bus, taxi, reserved taxi, private transfer van, shuttle van, and car rental. Here are full details.

To/from Atatürk Airport
Here are instructions for going to Atatürk Airport on the European shore.

Airport History
The airport is named for Ms Sabiha Gökçen (1913-2001), the world's first female fighter pilot. In her long career as a pilot and teacher she flew 22 different combat and aerobatics aircraft, and was the first woman to fly the Focke Wulfe 190-A3. The Sabiha Gökçen Airport website has more.

Ms Gökçen's pioneering work was made possible because of Kemal Atatürk's social reforms, which emphasized equal rights and opportunities for women, and the importance of flight. Turks in the air travel and aircraft industries eagerly quote Atatürk's prescient saying, "The future is in the skies."

An important aspect of the airport's operation is as the air hub of Istanbul's Advanced Technology Industry Park project.