R5 023 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 15/1. 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
R9 495
Typical prices: R8 893-R9 977
Qatar Airways
Thu 12/2Thu 19/2
JNB - SAW • 1 stop
Cheapest direct flights
R13 348
Typical prices: R14 071-R18 225
Turkish Airlines
Thu 27/11Tue 9/12
JNB - IST • Direct
Top routes
JNB-TR5
Cheapest
CPT-TR5
Most popular
Insights
Insights
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Insights
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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, Feb 12 - Thu, Feb 19
Qatar Airways Logo
20:30 - 12:10JNB-SAW
14h 40m1 stop
Qatar Airways Logo
13:40 - 8:40SAW-JNB
20h 00m1 stop
R9 495Qatar Airways
Find Deal
Wed, Apr 1 - Mon, Apr 13
Qatar Airways Logo
20:40 - 12:10JNB-SAW
14h 30m1 stop
Qatar Airways Logo
13:35 - 16:10SAW-JNB
27h 35m1 stop
R9 650Qatar Airways
Find Deal
Mon, Jan 26 - Fri, Jan 30
Etihad Airways Logo
9:50 - 12:55JNB-IST
26h 05m1 stop
Etihad Airways Logo
14:00 - 8:20IST-JNB
19h 20m1 stop
R9 667Etihad Airways
Find Deal
Sat, May 9 - Sun, May 31
Etihad Airways Logo
9:50 - 13:05JNB-IST
26h 15m1 stop
Etihad Airways Logo
14:10 - 8:20IST-JNB
19h 10m1 stop
R9 770Etihad Airways
Find Deal
Sun, Nov 23 - Sat, Nov 29
Ethiopian Air Logo
14:30 - 5:00JNB-IST
13h 30m1 stop
Ethiopian Air Logo
0:05 - 13:05IST-JNB
14h 00m1 stop
R10 458Ethiopian Air
Find Deal
Sun, Nov 23 - Sun, Nov 30
Emirates Logo
22:20 - 18:30JNB-IST
19h 10m1 stop
Emirates Logo
20:05 - 16:35IST-JNB
21h 30m1 stop
R10 820Emirates
Find Deal
Thu, Nov 27 - Wed, Dec 10
Emirates Logo
18:50 - 14:25JNB-IST
18h 35m1 stop
Emirates Logo
20:05 - 20:35IST-JNB
25h 30m1 stop
R11 009Emirates
Find Deal
Fri, Jan 30 - Sat, Feb 14
Ethiopian Air Logo
14:30 - 5:00JNB-IST
13h 30m1 stop
Ethiopian Air Logo
7:35 - 20:10IST-JNB
13h 35m1 stop
R11 215Ethiopian Air
Find Deal
Fri, Dec 12 - Thu, Dec 25
Turkish Airlines Logo
16:00 - 6:00DUR-IST
13h 00m1 stop
Turkish Airlines Logo
2:05 - 13:30IST-DUR
12h 25m1 stop
R14 363Turkish Airlines
Find Deal
Fri, Dec 12 - Thu, Dec 25
Turkish Airlines Logo
16:00 - 6:00DUR-IST
13h 00mdirect
Turkish Airlines Logo
2:05 - 13:30IST-DUR
12h 25mdirect
R14 415Turkish 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 R5 023 one-way and R9 495 return. The most popular connection is from Cape Town to Istanbul and KAYAK users have found return deals for as low as R10 321 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 659. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks cost R6 493 and departed from Cape Town. The most popular routes on KAYAK are Durban to Istanbul which costs R17 061 on average, and Johannesburg to Istanbul, which costs R13 310 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 Durban R6 661 one-way - R14 357 return, from Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport R7 023 one-way - R11 720 return, from Cape Town R7 270 one-way - R12 583 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 79 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 R2 090.

Good to know – Book Cheap Istanbul Plane Tickets

Cheapest flightR5 023
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 R5 023 one-way and R9 495 return. The most popular connection is from Cape Town to Istanbul and KAYAK users have found return deals for as low as R10 321 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 659. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks cost R6 493 and departed from Cape Town 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 tickets can be as cheap as R13 038. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Saturday, where prices are R14 303 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 flights cost R9 639 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 R13 445.

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, +122 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +123 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, +125 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +126 more

Saturday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +118 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +119 more

Sunday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +120 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +121 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, +122 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +123 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, +125 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +126 more

Saturday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +118 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +119 more

Sunday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +120 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +121 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 3405 reviews
8,3Crew
8,2Entertainment
8,1Boarding
7,9Food
8,0Comfort
Airline reviews

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.

8,0 ExcellentCarlton, Sept 2025CPT - DXB
Read more Emirates reviews

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 great, a little more leg room would have been better particularly since we were in premium economy

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.

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.

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.

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 Qatar Airways staff pre-boarding and also on the flight from Dallas to Doha were incredibly mediocre and arrogant. Consider retraining these individuals Other flights were ok.

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.

Stewardess was attentive and was actively roamin to check the passengers on the biz class

Boarding was excellent except they did last call 30 minutes earlier .

It was worst flight ever of 26h. Poor service and seating. Flight from Abu Dhabi to Islamabad service and seating was worst ever. No tv extra.

The check-in has been the very best so far I didn't get to use my priority access which made me feel like a paid a higher price with no benefit for that I loved the food Very tasty and hot The staff friendliness, empathy could be better as it was not linear amongst the whole crew Otherwise, no complaints. I'd still fly again via Etihad Great prices despite the long 6h of waiting time

Surprised at the lower quality of seats on the Boeing 777 in Business Class. Seats are tight and the whole Business class section is jam packed with seats. It doesn’t feel like Business Class at all. Also the way the tray tables are placed with a huge bulky solid metal hinge at knee level makes it so uncomfortable and always anxious that one will accidentally bang their knee on it. Quality of amenities has also declined. Over priced tickets with diminished quality of the entire 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

I paid $150 to upgrade to this seat. My exit row seat had ample leg room BUT the collapsable table was broken so my food tray and drinks slid over to my lap, the screen malfunctioned.

As a big guy the seats are way too small for me. Would prefer more comfortable seats on these long haul flights.

Very bad this airline changes my schedule date of travel and get me stranded in Istanbul for three days, paid for only one day hotel accommodation with only one breakfast and i had to pay for lunches ,and dinners and hotel accommodations for the two and half days

Bad confort, bad seat take advantage of the political conflict to double the price

They changed the return flight to the next day and it interrupted the plans we had in our connecting city.

it was a terrible experience. after 4 hours at the gate the flight was cancelled. the airline offered to rebook the flight for 26 hours later. Our team was travelling for an international competition. They missed the competition because the airline delayed them for over 30 hours. We already left the airport but the next morning we received an email stating that we were rebooked for a flight which was another 24 hours later after the already rebooked flight. We bought a ticket on Kayak. The reservation was delivered with a logo Airfareassist. I used Kayak services for over 20 years and assumed that I was dealing with a legitimate organization. Once the flight was postponed for over 40 hours, I learned that Airfareassist is a 3rd party agency whom kayak routes business to without notifying me, the customer. While I was entitled for a full refund, which was confirmed by the airline, Airfareassist only offered a partial refund and kept the difference. Kayak has failed to do a due diligence on the 3rd parties they do business with. As a result I will never do business with kayak again and am filing a complaint with the BBB and the Secretary of Transportation. This is a pure fraud and its unacceptable.

My flight was canceled 1 minute before boarding. The customer service was owful, no one could tell us what was going happened. I spent 30hrs instead of 15 from Washington DC to Brussels. No apologie or help

Boeing 777 is a bad choice for a such a long flight.

It was great! Great value for the price I paid. Great crew and great food in business class

Everything was so smooth. It could be just a better temperature in the plane; it was a little cold.

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.

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.

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.

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.