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Route

London → Istanbul

LGWLondonLondon Gatwick Airport
ISTIstanbulİstanbul Airport
Distance
1,529 mi
Estimated flight time
~3h 35m

Istanbul is currently 2 hours ahead of London.

Observed nonstop

View the reverse route

How often does this route fly?

Frequency

A couple of times a day

On average around 3 flights a day, observed from October 2025 to September 2026.

3
flights per day
5
busiest month · Apr
1.5
quietest month · Nov
3 hr 11 min
measured flight time
12 / 12
months seen

Through the year

Per day, month by month

  1. 3Jan2026
  2. 3Feb
  3. 3Mar
  4. 5Apr
  5. 3May
  6. 4Jun
  7. 4Jul
  8. 4Aug
  9. 4Sep
  10. 2Oct2025
  11. 1.5Nov
  12. 1.5Dec

Airlines

Who flies it

Turkish Airlinesall year
Wizz Air UKall year

Through the day

Departure times

Local time in London. Most departures between 13:00 and 16:00.

  1. 00:00
  2. 01:00
  3. 02:00
  4. 03:00
  5. 04:00
  6. 05:00
  7. 06:00
  8. 07:00
  9. 08:00
  10. 09:00
  11. 10:00
  12. 11:00
  13. 12:00
  14. 13:00
  15. 14:00
  16. 15:00
  17. 16:00
  18. 17:00
  19. 18:00
  20. 19:00
  21. 20:00
  22. 21:00
  23. 22:00
  24. 23:00

Through the week

By weekday

  1. 2.3Mon
  2. 2.5Tue
  3. 2.4Wed
  4. 2.1Thu
  5. 2.3Fri
  6. 2.4Sat
  7. 2.3Sun

Fleet

Aircraft observed

  1. Airbus A321neoA21N97%
  2. Airbus A321A3213%
  3. Boeing 737 MAX 8B38M0%
All the numbers in a table
MonthPer daySeenAirlines
January 2026332
  • Turkish Airlines25×
  • Wizz Air UK7×
February 2026352
  • Turkish Airlines41×
  • Wizz Air UK11×
March 2026385
  • Turkish Airlines65×
  • Wizz Air UK20×
April 20265113
  • Turkish Airlines89×
  • Wizz Air UK24×
May 2026373
  • Turkish Airlines55×
  • Wizz Air UK18×
June 2026493
  • Turkish Airlines68×
  • Wizz Air UK25×
July 20264116
  • Turkish Airlines95×
  • Wizz Air UK20×
August 20264120
  • Turkish Airlines102×
  • Wizz Air UK18×
September 20264106
  • Turkish Airlines82×
  • Wizz Air UK24×
October 202525
  • Turkish Airlines3×
  • Wizz Air UK2×
November 20251.520
  • Turkish Airlines16×
  • Wizz Air UK4×
December 20251.523
  • Turkish Airlines20×
  • Wizz Air UK3×

Airlines observed on this route

From observed callsign routes on LGW-IST - not a booking guarantee.

Turkish Airlines

TK · THY

Hub: IST Istanbul

163 departure airportsView airline →

Wizz Air UK

W9 · WUK

Hub: LTN London

50 departure airportsView airline →

About this route

  • International route: London and Istanbul are in different countries.
  • The opposite direction has also been observed as a direct connection.
  • Direct destinations observed from London: 189.
  • Direct destinations observed from Istanbul: 116.

The airports on this route

London Gatwick Airport

London, United KingdomLGW / EGKK

Major airport · 189 direct destinations · 2 runways · longest runway 10,883 ft

54 °F · ClearSource: METAR observation via the NOAA Aviation Weather Center

Airport pageAll direct destinations

İstanbul Airport

Istanbul, TürkiyeIST / LTFM

International hub · 116 direct destinations · 6 runways · longest runway 13,451 ft

54 °F · RainSource: METAR observation via the NOAA Aviation Weather Center

Airport pageAll direct destinations

Alternative airports for this journey

Same journey, a different airport nearby - with an observed direct connection.

LHR ISTLondon Heathrow AirportLondon is about 25 mi from London.View route →LTN ISTLondon Luton AirportLondon is about 51 mi from London.View route →STN ISTLondon Stansted AirportLondon is about 54 mi from London.View route →

About the route from London to Istanbul

The observed direct connection between London Gatwick Airport (LGW) and İstanbul Airport (IST) covers approximately 1,529 mi. The estimated flight time is around 3h 35m. Turkish Airlines and Wizz Air UK have been observed on this connection in the available route data.

Frequently asked questions about this route

How far is London from Istanbul by air?
The great-circle distance between London Gatwick Airport and İstanbul Airport is approximately 1,529 mi.
How long is the flight from London to Istanbul?
Based on the distance, the estimated flight time is about 3h 35m. This is an estimate, not a schedule.
Is there a direct connection from London to Istanbul?
Yes, a direct connection between LGW and IST has been observed in our route data.
Which airlines have been observed on this route?
In the available route data: Turkish Airlines and Wizz Air UK.
How often is there a flight from London to Istanbul?
On average around 3 flights a day, measured over twelve months (October 2025 to September 2026) in the flight archive, with 838 observed flights. Mainly Turkish Airlines, Wizz Air UK. That is an observation, not a timetable.
What is the current time difference between London and Istanbul?
Istanbul is currently 2 hours ahead of London.

Where this data comes from

The route data comes from the flight archive (ADS-B, adsb.lol): which connections actually flew over the last twelve full months and who flew them, combined with our own airport, runway, and airline datasets. It is reference data about observed routes - not a current timetable and no claim about bookability.

The frequency and aircraft on this page come from the flight archive (ADS-B, 12 months, October 2025 to September 2026), summarized per route per month. We do not see every flight, so it is a floor, not a count.

Route data updated on October 11, 2026.