Skip to main content

Route

London → Istanbul

LHRLondonLondon Heathrow Airport
ISTIstanbulİstanbul Airport
Distance
1,545 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

Several times a day

On average around 6.25 flights a day, observed from October 2025 to September 2026.

6.3
flights per day
8
busiest month · Apr
1
quietest month · Oct
3 hr 9 min
measured flight time
12 / 12
months seen

Through the year

Per day, month by month

  1. 6Jan2026
  2. 5Feb
  3. 6Mar
  4. 8Apr
  5. 6.5May
  6. 7.5Jun
  7. 8Jul
  8. 8Aug
  9. 8Sep
  10. 1Oct2025
  11. 2Nov
  12. 1Dec

Airlines

Who flies it

Turkish Airlinesall year
British Airwaysall year

Through the day

Departure times

Local time in London. Most departures between 17:00 and 20:00.

  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. 4.8Mon
  2. 4.7Tue
  3. 4Wed
  4. 4.4Thu
  5. 4Fri
  6. 5.2Sat
  7. 4.4Sun

Fleet

Aircraft observed

  1. Airbus A321neoA21N32%
  2. Airbus A320neoA20N18%
  3. Airbus A330-300A33314%
  4. Airbus A350-900A35911%
  5. Boeing 777-300ERB77W10%
All the numbers in a table
MonthPer daySeenAirlines
January 2026674
  • Turkish Airlines54×
  • British Airways20×
February 20265104
  • Turkish Airlines77×
  • British Airways27×
March 20266154
  • Turkish Airlines104×
  • British Airways50×
April 20268188
  • Turkish Airlines118×
  • British Airways70×
May 20266.5148
  • Turkish Airlines101×
  • British Airways47×
June 20267.5194
  • Turkish Airlines133×
  • British Airways61×
July 20268237
  • Turkish Airlines160×
  • British Airways77×
August 20268227
  • Turkish Airlines150×
  • British Airways77×
September 20268229
  • Turkish Airlines151×
  • British Airways77×
October 202512
  • British Airways2×
November 2025223
  • Turkish Airlines19×
  • British Airways4×
December 2025132
  • Turkish Airlines24×
  • British Airways8×

Airlines observed on this route

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

British Airways

BA · BAW

Hub: LHR London

145 departure airportsView airline →

Turkish Airlines

TK · THY

Hub: IST Istanbul

163 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: 173.
  • Direct destinations observed from Istanbul: 116.

The airports on this route

London Heathrow Airport

London, United KingdomLHR / EGLL

International hub · 173 direct destinations · 2 runways · longest runway 12,799 ft

61 °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

52 °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.

LGW ISTLondon Gatwick AirportLondon is about 25 mi from London.View route →LTN ISTLondon Luton AirportLondon is about 28 mi from London.View route →STN ISTLondon Stansted AirportLondon is about 41 mi from London.View route →BHX ISTBirmingham AirportBirmingham is about 87 mi from London.View route →

About the route from London to Istanbul

The observed direct connection between London Heathrow Airport (LHR) and İstanbul Airport (IST) covers approximately 1,545 mi. The estimated flight time is around 3h 35m. British Airways and Turkish Airlines 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 Heathrow Airport and İstanbul Airport is approximately 1,545 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 LHR and IST has been observed in our route data.
Which airlines have been observed on this route?
In the available route data: British Airways and Turkish Airlines.
How often is there a flight from London to Istanbul?
On average around 6.25 flights a day, measured over twelve months (October 2025 to September 2026) in the flight archive, with 1,612 observed flights. Mainly Turkish Airlines, British Airways. 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.