R4 600 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 10/2. 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, 0 bags

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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Everything you should know

Cheapest return fare
R8 919
Overall average: R12 229
Qatar Airways
Thu 23/4Thu 30/4
DUR - SAW • 2 stops
Cheapest direct flights
R12 891
Typical prices: R11 071-R13 222
Turkish Airlines
Tue 3/2Mon 9/2
JNB - IST • Direct
Top routes
JNB-TR5
Cheapest
CPT-TR5
Most popular
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
Start a new search
KAYAK searches hundreds of sites at once to find you the best travel deals.
We hope you love your trip to Istanbul!
Flight Deals
Booking Insights
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

Thu, Apr 23 - Thu, Apr 30
Qatar Airways Logo
11:55 - 14:20
DUR
-
SAW
25h 25m2 stops
Qatar Airways Logo
15:30 - 10:25
SAW
-
DUR
19h 55m2 stops
R8 919Qatar Airways
Thu, Apr 16 - Mon, Apr 20
Qatar Airways Logo
11:55 - 14:20
DUR
-
SAW
25h 25m2 stops
Qatar Airways Logo
15:30 - 10:25
SAW
-
DUR
19h 55m2 stops
R8 952Qatar Airways
Thu, Apr 16 - Mon, Apr 20
Qatar Airways Logo
11:55 - 14:20
DUR
-
SAW
25h 25m2 stops
Qatar Airways Logo
15:30 - 10:25
SAW
-
DUR
19h 55m2 stops
R8 969Qatar Airways
Mon, May 4 - Fri, May 8
Egyptair Logo
21:45 - 17:35
JNB
-
IST
18h 50m1 stop
Egyptair Logo
3:50 - 7:10
IST
-
JNB
28h 20m1 stop
R9 432Egyptair
Sun, Jan 18 - Sun, Jan 25
KLM Logo
23:59 - 21:20
JNB
-
SAW
20h 21m1 stop
KLM Logo
12:55 - 22:05
SAW
-
JNB
34h 10m1 stop
R9 879KLM
Sun, Feb 15 - Sun, Feb 22
Emirates Logo
19:10 - 14:25
DUR
-
IST
18h 15m1 stop
Emirates Logo
23:40 - 17:10
IST
-
DUR
18h 30m1 stop
R10 591Emirates
Tue, May 19 - Sun, May 31
Emirates Logo
18:40 - 14:25
DUR
-
IST
18h 45m1 stop
Emirates Logo
19:35 - 16:35
IST
-
DUR
22h 00m1 stop
R10 607Emirates
Fri, Apr 24 - Sun, May 3
KLM Logo
23:15 - 17:05
CPT
-
SAW
16h 50m1 stop
KLM Logo
14:40 - 5:50
SAW
-
CPT
16h 10m1 stop
R10 988KLM
Thu, Jan 29 - Mon, Feb 2
Multiple Airlines Logo
7:00 - 12:10
DUR
-
SAW
28h 10m2 stops
Multiple Airlines Logo
13:40 - 10:40
SAW
-
DUR
22h 00m2 stops
R11 087Multiple Airlines
Mon, Feb 9 - Mon, Feb 23
Multiple Airlines Logo
7:55 - 3:50
CPT
-
IST
18h 55m1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
17:55 - 5:50
IST
-
CPT
36h 55m2 stops
R11 733Multiple Airlines
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 R4 600 one-way and R8 919 return. The most popular connection is from Cape Town to Istanbul and KAYAK users have found return deals for as low as R10 045 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.

On average, a flight to Istanbul costs R10 272. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks cost R6 410 and departed from Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport. The most popular routes on KAYAK are Johannesburg to Istanbul which costs R11 821 on average, and Cape Town to Istanbul, which costs R12 935 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 Cape Town R7 039 one-way - R11 708 return, from Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport R7 044 one-way - R10 873 return, from Durban R10 059 one-way - R16 656 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 1 week before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 81 days 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, with an average flight price of R3 032.

Good to know – Book Cheap Istanbul Plane Tickets

Cheapest flightR4 600
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 R4 600 one-way and R8 919 return. The most popular connection is from Cape Town to Istanbul and KAYAK users have found return deals for as low as R10 045 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 272. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks cost R6 410 and departed from Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport.

  • What is the cheapest day to fly to Istanbul?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to Istanbul is Tuesday where tickets can be as cheap as R12 506. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Saturday, where prices are R14 221 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 at night, when flights cost R12 356 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 R12 849.

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, +123 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +124 more

Tuesday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +123 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +124 more

Wednesday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +121 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +122 more

Thursday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +123 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +124 more

Friday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +127 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +128 more

Saturday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +118 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +119 more

Sunday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +121 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +122 more

See more direct flights

Direct returns

Istanbul to South Africa

Monday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +123 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +124 more

Tuesday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +123 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +124 more

Wednesday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +121 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +122 more

Thursday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +123 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +124 more

Friday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +127 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +128 more

Saturday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +118 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +119 more

Sunday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +121 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +122 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 3451 reviews
8,1Boarding
8,3Crew
8,2Entertainment
8,0Comfort
7,9Food
Airline reviews

Emirates did great! I liked the service, the food, cleanness, and the flight was on time. Much better airline than Qatar Airways I flew with last year.

10,0 ExcellentElena, Dec 2025
BOS - DXB
Read more Emirates reviews

Emirates did great! I liked the service, the food, cleanness, and the flight was on time. Much better airline than Qatar Airways I flew with last year.

Mostly good and consistent of Emirates service. Christmas menu was great initiative and tasted good. Taking the bus from terminal to the plane spoilt the experience a little.

There is an issue with A380 when it arrives in Munich, because a business class passengers like me have to wait for the first class passengers to disembark, which takes some time while you are also offloading economy passengers this causes an issue at customs where your business class passengers end up behind a large bulk of economy passengers This is a frustration and the early dislocation should be and is supposed to be a benefit of business class

Emirates A380s are always wonderful to fly on. Their crews, food and service are always excellent. They are typically on time and the only thing I would change (maybe newer or upgraded aircraft have this) is bluetooth so I can pair my noise cancelling headphones without a cable.

Love that you can walk directly to your gate from the Emirates Business class lounge, very convenient

This was my first time flying with Emirates. Overall, the experience was very good. I thought the seats in economy would have been a bit more comfortable, but, they seem to be on par with other airlines. The food was excellent and very satisfying. If you can afford it, I would definitely suggest upgrading to at lest premium economy seats for long haul flights.

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.

It was very good. It was a long flight and being a tight with little leg room.

Very efficient and professional staff. Food was good and so was entertainment selection.

The service was good but the food was a NO

All good. Over four hours flight if provided snacks like Qatar Airways would be better

Good. It would be great if comfort seats were available

The flight was delayed and one member of the crew was a bit rude. But apart from that all good.

It never happened. Me flight from Doha to São Paulo was lated and the time of waiting for the luggage arrives when we arrived in São Paulo was about 1 hour and half. So it took a lot of time just waiting the luggage of flight that was already late, consequently we lost the flight to Recife with Latam Airlines and had to go to the Qatar office to arrange another flight to us to Recife, that one with Azul Airlines. It was more 4 hours waiting to this other flight to knows that this other flight was delayed too, total of 5 hours more at the airport to waiting to go home :/

The flight overall was good. The attendants did a good job except that 1 female had too much fragrance on. The other things that made the flight unpleasant were out of the airlines control.

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

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

There was not any issues with the Etihad Airways. Staff was excellent and I love the variety of movies and games that they provided.

I didn’t have a flight because it was a fraud and you allow it. Illl never use Kayak again!!!

Seat space was tight and uncomfortable. There was hardly any cushioning giving me a terrible tail bone ache. Getting and out was extremely cramped. We paid for seat choices and felt totally ripped off. Food was mediocre. By the time the servers served 2 or 3 rows they ran out of this or that option as we saw on the inbound trip also. This is infuriating. Entertainment choices were extremely limited for such a long haul. The screen froze on occasion and did not switch off when the on off button was pressed. When it did it came back on its own in 5 seconds. The airlines has gone downhill since last year.

excellent, staff and boarding were all seamless and no issues, thank you!

More leg space than other flights, but felt like *maybe* narrower seats?

My baggage was not boarded and is still missing. I was only carring one piece of luggage and that is misplaced now I am stuck at mumbai without luggage. I had an onward journey from here

We booked a business class ticket via Underpricer. Somehow they screwed up our ticket from Abu Dhabi to Ahmedabad. We will be hesitant to book again with them.

One of your male flight attendant was pushy and a bit of a martinette. Completely unnecessary.

The WiFi was not compatible on both my phones (Vivo Y30 5g and Samsung Galaxy A32) with up-to-date android software.

Did not provided with option for class upgrade. Staff at gate was not able and willing to accommodate with class upgrade, eather with plenty empty spots in business and first class.

The entertainment selection itself was ok but the screen couldn't be turned off which was annoying because I wanted to read and not be distubed by flashing lights in front of me. I could see other people having the same problem with their screens. The crew seemed to be too busy to be bothered by our questions/requests. I found the seat quite uncomfortable, especially for a long flight. As a short person, I've accepted the inconvenience of always having seats higher than comfortable, but my neck hurt after a while because the headrest was too high and couldn't be adjusted further. The seat pockets in this plane seemed to be faulty. I could see people near me having the same problem of everything falling on the floor because it kept detaching from the back of the seat. It was pretty useless to keep anything in it, even the menu and sick bag wouldn't stay in. The food was meh. The omellete was just a hunk of egg - my next flight leg also offered omellete but was so much better than this one.

Space between seats is challenging but otherwise excellent service in every way.

Customer service was poor everywhere. In particular in business class lounge. Stewardess were however excellent. No ability to order more than one dietary restriction in food that created awkward situations when I was offered bulgur due to being diabetic as I was also gluten free

PLEASE GIVRE US PERMISSION TO BOOK SEAT NUMBER EVEN WITH FEES

Turkish Airline canceled our tickets in the very last minute, with our luggage and everything else, all prepared and good to go. It’s clear that they sold the tickets for better money to someone else. Bad, Bad, Bad business!!!

I am elderly and needed wheelchair assist. The ground crew assisting me with that part of my journey was rude, disrespectful and very hungry for money; the begging was distasteful and disrespect for females and the elderly was atrocious. Maybe they need to get a raise...I was out of small bills by time I reached home. As an american I am not use to the impoliteness. The ground crew make your wonderful airline appears poor in performance...a lot to be desired.

Awful seating. Bad food. Staff only have one bottle of water and no cans.

The flight attendants were generally rude. I requested a blanket for my toddler and didn’t receive the blanket until about about 3 hours later into the flight after multiple asks for different crew!

Loved the food. No wheelchair was provided in Sofia even though wheelchair assistance was confirmed by Turkish Airlines

The crew was not professional enough for that time. Multimedia connection had a problem frequently

Delay not posted, only departure time listed- not boarding time. We left an hour late and arrived 45 min late. Restrooms had backed up sinks and toilets not flushed ) passenger error). Lots of screen for entertainment didn’t work. But we arrived with our luggage

The plane was old and the luggage racks above us were visibly shaking during turbulence. Water was dripping on our heads during landing. Our flight was over 2 hours late departing but we were not updated or told what to expect as the screen at the gate continued to read “on time”

I had a memorable experience. I dont have any comments at this time regarding waht could be better.

It is nice and great but the houstees crew are all the way back arguing with customers and behavior issues same of the crew i saw that also all the trips were very much butter!

Need to do a lot of improvement on service and cleaness

They only gave us 30 minutes to make an international connecting flight. We didn’t make the connection but they did do a good job rebooking us despite the chaos. Our bags didn’t make it back and their process for customer support is pretty bad when it comes to luggage.

Good. Crew do seem to be less friendly- management are clearly limiting them or not empowering them as they used to.

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.

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

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.