R5 361 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 2/11. 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.
1 adult
1 adult, Economy

KAYAK searches hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to Istanbul

 
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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Flight Deals

Cheap Flights 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.
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Recent return flight deals to Istanbul

Tue, Sep 16 - Thu, Sep 25
Qatar Airways Logo
13:55 - 12:10JNB-SAW
21h 15m1 stop
Qatar Airways Logo
13:35 - 9:35SAW-JNB
21h 00m1 stop
R9 070Qatar Airways
Find Deal
Tue, Sep 16 - Thu, Sep 25
Qatar Airways Logo
13:55 - 12:10JNB-SAW
21h 15m1 stop
Qatar Airways Logo
20:05 - 9:35SAW-JNB
14h 30m1 stop
R9 105Qatar Airways
Find Deal
Sun, Sep 7 - Thu, Sep 18
Etihad Airways Logo
9:50 - 13:05JNB-IST
26h 15m1 stop
Etihad Airways Logo
7:30 - 8:20IST-JNB
25h 50m1 stop
R9 755Etihad Airways
Find Deal
Tue, Sep 9 - Sun, Sep 14
Etihad Airways Logo
9:50 - 13:05JNB-IST
26h 15m1 stop
Etihad Airways Logo
7:30 - 8:20IST-JNB
25h 50m1 stop
R9 966Etihad Airways
Find Deal
Tue, Sep 16 - Tue, Sep 23
Ethiopian Air Logo
8:20 - 21:10JNB-IST
11h 50m1 stop
Ethiopian Air Logo
8:00 - 20:10IST-JNB
13h 10m1 stop
R10 037Ethiopian Air
Find Deal
Tue, Jan 13 - Mon, Feb 16
Ethiopian Air Logo
8:20 - 21:10JNB-IST
11h 50m1 stop
Ethiopian Air Logo
23:55 - 13:05IST-JNB
14h 10m1 stop
R10 880Ethiopian Air
Find Deal
Mon, Sep 1 - Mon, Sep 8
Emirates Logo
13:25 - 21:35JNB-IST
31h 10m1 stop
Emirates Logo
23:20 - 5:30IST-JNB
31h 10m1 stop
R11 478Emirates
Find Deal
Mon, Sep 1 - Thu, Sep 4
Emirates Logo
13:25 - 21:35JNB-IST
31h 10m1 stop
Emirates Logo
19:25 - 20:50IST-JNB
26h 25m1 stop
R11 496Emirates
Find Deal
Mon, Oct 27 - Sun, Nov 2
Turkish Airlines Logo
17:15 - 5:35CPT-IST
11h 20mdirect
Turkish Airlines Logo
1:55 - 11:50IST-CPT
10h 55mdirect
R11 830Turkish Airlines
Find Deal
Mon, Oct 27 - Sun, Nov 2
Turkish Airlines Logo
17:15 - 5:35CPT-IST
11h 20mdirect
Turkish Airlines Logo
2:05 - 14:35IST-CPT
13h 30m1 stop
R12 867Turkish Airlines
Find Deal
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for flights to Istanbul

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 R9 069 return. The most popular connection is from Cape Town to Istanbul and KAYAK users have found return deals for as low as R9 703 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 892 on average. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks cost R5 733 and departed from Durban. The most popular routes on KAYAK are Johannesburg to Istanbul which costs R12 888 on average, and Cape Town to Istanbul, which costs R14 252 on average.

See prices from:

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 Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport R11 766 return, from Cape Town R12 712 return, from Durban R12 866 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 4 weeks before departure, which saves you about 12% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 12 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 R2 125.

Good to know – Book Cheap Istanbul Plane Tickets

Cheapest flightR5 361
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 R9 069 return. The most popular connection is from Cape Town to Istanbul and KAYAK users have found return deals for as low as R9 703 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 892. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks cost R5 733 and departed from Durban King Shaka Intl Airport.

  • What is the cheapest day to fly to Istanbul?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to Istanbul is Tuesday where round-trip tickets can be as cheap as R13 652. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Saturday, where round-trip prices are R15 026 on average.

  • 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.

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

    The cheapest time of day to fly to Istanbul is generally in the morning, when round-trip flights cost R560 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 R799.

  • 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 Saturday, with 14% of flights taking off on this day.

Top tips for finding cheap flights to Istanbul

  • 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?

 
Nonstop data is based off flight results for the next 60 days. Find direct flights from all airlines flying nonstop 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, +121 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +122 more

Tuesday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +122 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +123 more

Wednesday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +119 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +120 more

Thursday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +124 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +125 more

Friday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +123 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +124 more

Saturday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +118 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +119 more

Sunday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +122 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +123 more

See more direct flights

Direct returns

Istanbul to South Africa

Monday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +121 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +122 more

Tuesday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +122 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +123 more

Wednesday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +119 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +120 more

Thursday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +124 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +125 more

Friday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +123 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +124 more

Saturday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +118 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +119 more

Sunday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +122 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +123 more

See more direct flights

Reviews of the 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 3315 reviews
8,1Boarding
7,9Food
8,3Crew
8,0Comfort
8,2Entertainment
Airline reviews

Emirates need to improve the boarding process. There is no point calling for all First and Business Class passengers plus Platinum, Gold and Silver Skywards members at one time. Further to this, try channeling all these people into one entry point with no defined lines. It was chaos. The is a common issue on the Dubai to Riyadh flight. Poor effort Emirates.

2,0 MediocreDuncan, Jul 2025DXB - RUH
Read more Emirates reviews

Emirates need to improve the boarding process. There is no point calling for all First and Business Class passengers plus Platinum, Gold and Silver Skywards members at one time. Further to this, try channeling all these people into one entry point with no defined lines. It was chaos. The is a common issue on the Dubai to Riyadh flight. Poor effort Emirates.

Wifi was not operational for the whole trip. Other than this, flight was well received .

First time and very memorable, the finest flying experience ive ever had

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.

Comfort good. Service as usual poor. Cabin temperature as usual too cold, about 15 degrees

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

Loved that I had an exit row seat, and there was no one else in the row! And again, I don' use on-line entertainment at all (I read or sleep) but I very much appreciate that I didn't hear anyone else's entertainment!

The service was excellent. We flew coach on this leg of our trip and it was still very pleasant.

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

Enough vegetarian food was not available on the flight for all vegetarian guests on the plane. Crew did not adequately handle this experience

Reason for travelling Tampa to Orlando is to fly Qatar Airline. we end up with American Airline. This was the miserable experience I ever had in my entire travel history. Flight attendants were rude. They hit my knee with the food cart and I was holding ice pack for 2 hours. I still have the pain after a week. WE boarded the flight twice because of the temperature inside the plan.

It was excellent in all respects. I don’t think it needs any improvement

Indigo airlines is terrible. Staff is awful and so disorganized. They are so rude and unhelpful. I will never travel on Indigo airlines again!!!!!

Terrible experience resolving missed connection after flight was delayed. 3 hour queue at transit desk, not enough staff, no organisation, worst ever flying experience.

The staff was great and probably that's the single most thing that distinguished this particular Qatar flight from my average typical experience. They genuinely wanted to please you and do their best.

It was ok, not much more can be said, as long as airlines/aircraft manufacturers insist on cramming in as many seats as possible....best of a bad situations, seats are simply too uncomfortable to sit in for more than a few hours. Lack of flexible headrests not a help on long overnight flights either.

All the crew members were too slow and rude. Most of the times the registers were empty, while hundreds of customers were waiting in line, and it was impossible to get a supervisor. Despite being in line on time, I missed my freight, plus a some customers who were ahead and behind me.

The space was tight, hardly any leg room and the crew surprisingly were busy and did not take the time to attend to passengers, felt rushed. There was a delay for check in since the systems were down the airport staffs were accommodating

Very unimpressed that I was dumped from the seat I had booked and paid for after check in. Apparently a family wanted to sit together, however as they all were adults I think they should have pre booked their seats like I did. I will be approaching Qatar for a refund. That and the dreadful state of the flooding toilets made me wonder how they managed to be voted the best airline. Not worth the money.

The overall flight experience between Doha and Kolkata was satisfactory. The staff onboard were notably engaged, responsive, and enthusiastic, providing a level of service that stood out, especially when compared to the less attentive crew on the earlier leg from Heathrow to Doha. Their eagerness to assist made the journey more pleasant. Additionally, the time spent at the Silver Lounge in Doha contributed positively to the experience. The lounge offered a comfortable and relaxing environment, with adequate amenities and attentive staff. Overall, both the flight and the lounge experience in Doha met expectations, making for a smooth and satisfactory travel experience.

It was OK as the seat which we paid for doesn’t have any window. We paid $120 for 3 seats but it’s for nothing. Crew could not help. None of the ports worked so all our phones went dry

A380 First Class Apartments were phenomenal. Comfortable bed and matress cover, superior vegetarian five course meal, shower, small business lounge and plenty of exercise walking around the aircraft.

The food could be better. Toilets were smelly all along

Etihad seems to have a very strict luggage enforcement. I am a very light passenger compared to other passengers which are mainly heavier. I do not understood why airlines enforce the weight restriction so strictly. I was overweight luggage of 1.5kg, but am probably 10+kg lighter than the average passenger. Other airlines are far more accommodating. Poor customer service as far as I am concerned. If weight is such an important issue to an airline they should charge passengers by total amount of body weight plus luggage. To me just ridiculous.

Crew Check-In – Kolkata (CCU) The crew handling check-in in Kolkata was outstanding—efficient, courteous, and highly organized. Flight Segment – CCU to Abu Dhabi (AUH) A standard flight overall. Notably, only one in-flight meal option—a vegetarian curry—was available, which seemed unsuitable for a red-eye journey. The crew offered no alternatives, which was unexpected. Flight Segment – Abu Dhabi to Rome (AUH-FCO) Comfort improved on this leg, but service quality was average, falling short of Etihad’s premium standards. Crew attention was heavily absorbed by a difficult couple in Row 15 (port side), resulting in disproportionate focus. It was concerning that a steward had to personally return to apologize, a task better suited for supervisory staff. This highlights a development opportunity for supervisors Anna and Quashim in managing guest escalation professionally.

Horrible. After paying for my seats, I was cramped, had no overhead bin space, freezing as the flight had no temperature controls, the food was awful and served cold, when asked for snacks was told to wait and then never received any. I booked this flight as a partner through American Airlines but will avoid in the future.

Took a long time for boarding. The flight was comfortable.

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

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

Used to Etihad employees are very rude and unprofessional but now better than before over all is okay now

It was ok. Not the experience I expected from Turkish airlines

I loved and appreciated the agent at the check in counter in Amman. He was very professional and helpful. I believe his name was Lawrence. All I saw from him were smiles after smiles after smile. Very kind and professional. Overall trip was comfortable and pleasant.

The crew were very hospitable and pleasant. The food was pretty good. Unfortunately, there was a flight delay of more than 2 hours. We're not sure why but it appeared to be outside the control of Turkish Airlines.

Terrible. Delayed. No one would help. Just limped about like a piece of meat

Bough tickets with luggage, but made me pay at Airport as well

The best airline food being served for business travellers. Excellent food.

The economy seat was so uncomfortable, had not enough leg room for 13 hours flight, front seat basket was broken and couldn’t hold anything, food quality was horrible( we got food poisoned ) we charged for logged which used to be free. We paid too much for this flight and very disappointed. Turkish air line better to make satisfy and respect people instead of find different way to scam people.

The business class seats are designed for someone taller than I am, so my feet were dangling (the footrest was just a smidge too low). Which caused problems with my sciatic nerve and made for a long uncomfortable flight.

Overall great airline that still provides two suitcases, has a huge hub and crew goes above and beyond to assist you. Boarding took a lot of time as there were only 2 people checking in. Also, in Istanbul, taxing took almost 30 min.

Very good overall.... apart from the cost of extra check ed in luggage where they charge £17 per kg, and no option to just buy an extra bag allowance (at least on the route I took)

POSITIVES The hostesses were mostly pleasant, NEGATIVES The full flight wifi was horrible, hardly able to use it. My charger port was not working which made me use my neighbour's port which resulted in an accident which ruined her flight. During dinner, meat ran out when the cart got to us forcing us to eat vegetarian which was not great. We watched everyone around us eating meat. My wifi did not transfer to the second leg of my trip as they promised as they changed the plane. I was thrown off the window seat I booked for the 2nd leg of my journey as they changed planes, all done at my expense. This was not a cheap flight ($2600) which i hurriedly had to book to attend my mother's funeral who passed away suddenly. I was honestly disappointed with the whole saga as I heard Ethiopian Airlines was one of Africa's best.

The food was terrible and the seating was uncomfortable, but the airline did a great thing letting us board in Abbis Ababa on our connecting flight after our original flight was very delayed.

Checking in wasn't organized, too many so-called diplomats were jumping line while everyone was waiting in line. They should have their own line not to impede on other passengers that was also waiting to be served. We all paid money and there should be no discrimination because everyone's money should have the same value diplomat or not! If they want to give diplomats some special treatment then let them create their own check in desk and not treat other passengers some that are (elderly, some with children, pregnant women) making them stand longer in line than necessary just because people are jumping line 😡

Traveling with Ethiopian is always a good experience. I also enjoy the stay at skylight hotel in Addis

The flight is packed and it feels like the space per individual has gotten smaller. Excruciating for a 14hr flight.

Were not told that carryon laggage has to be only 12 kgs but my bag was heavier asked to pay an additional $550.00. I could have upgraded to a bussiness class for that price and no one at the gate to upgrade but able to take money for the extra weight. I felt like this was a setup scam.

United was best airlines I have seen since I got there choose united airlines

It was wonderful best Air lines covert and all very happy with their service they have been very helpful and friendly

No Asian Vegetarian food was available on this sector but only fish and chicken and pasta were offered.

Flight was delayed an hour. Also, I bought an extra legroom seat online; but the actually plane was a different configuration so I didn't get what I paid for . This happened on the Addis to Lusaka leg of my trip.

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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