IST

R5 064 Find Cheap Flights to Istanbul Airport

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 27/1. 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 Airport

 
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
Travellers love KAYAK
41 299 237 searches in the past 7 days on KAYAK

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Everything you should know

Cheapest return fare
R9 542
Typical prices: R9 223-R12 544
Ethiopian Air
Thu 15/1Tue 27/1
JNB - IST • 1 stop
Cheapest direct flights
R12 980
Typical prices: R11 169-R15 445
Turkish Airlines
Thu 15/1Tue 27/1
JNB - IST • Direct
Top routes
CPT-IST
Cheapest
JNB-IST
Most popular
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
When to travel
February
Cheapest • 11% price drop
September
Most popular
Good to know
Good to know
+1
+1
Good to know
Good to know
+1
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, Jan 15 - Tue, Jan 27
Ethiopian Air Logo
8:20 - 21:20
JNB
-
IST
12h 00m1 stop
Ethiopian Air Logo
0:05 - 13:05
IST
-
JNB
14h 00m1 stop
R9 542Ethiopian Air
Thu, Jan 15 - Tue, Jan 27
Ethiopian Air Logo
8:20 - 21:20
JNB
-
IST
12h 00m1 stop
Ethiopian Air Logo
0:05 - 13:05
IST
-
JNB
14h 00m1 stop
R9 592Ethiopian Air
Fri, Jan 30 - Fri, Feb 6
Qatar Airways Logo
12:45 - 12:20
JNB
-
IST
22h 35m1 stop
Qatar Airways Logo
20:10 - 8:40
IST
-
JNB
13h 30m1 stop
R9 693Qatar Airways
Fri, Jan 30 - Fri, Feb 6
Qatar Airways Logo
13:45 - 12:20
JNB
-
IST
21h 35m1 stop
Qatar Airways Logo
13:50 - 15:35
IST
-
JNB
26h 45m1 stop
R9 743Qatar Airways
Sun, Jan 25 - Fri, Jan 30
KLM Logo
23:59 - 16:55
JNB
-
IST
15h 56m1 stop
KLM Logo
17:55 - 22:05
IST
-
JNB
29h 10m1 stop
R9 894KLM
Sun, Jan 25 - Fri, Jan 30
KLM Logo
23:59 - 16:55
JNB
-
IST
15h 56m1 stop
KLM Logo
17:55 - 22:05
IST
-
JNB
29h 10m1 stop
R9 911KLM
Sun, Mar 1 - Sun, Mar 8
Emirates Logo
13:40 - 14:25
CPT
-
IST
23h 45m1 stop
Emirates Logo
20:05 - 11:40
IST
-
CPT
16h 35m1 stop
R10 146Emirates
Fri, Jan 30 - Fri, Feb 6
Emirates Logo
13:40 - 14:25
CPT
-
IST
23h 45m1 stop
Emirates Logo
16:25 - 16:45
IST
-
CPT
25h 20m1 stop
R10 179Emirates
Fri, Jan 30 - Fri, Feb 6
Multiple Airlines Logo
18:15 - 14:25
DUR
-
IST
19h 10m2 stops
Multiple Airlines Logo
23:40 - 17:10
IST
-
DUR
18h 30m1 stop
R12 343Multiple Airlines
Fri, Feb 13 - Fri, Feb 20
Multiple Airlines Logo
18:15 - 14:25
DUR
-
IST
19h 10m2 stops
Multiple Airlines Logo
23:40 - 17:10
IST
-
DUR
18h 30m1 stop
R12 393Multiple 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 Airport?

These are the best round-trip prices found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 72 hours.

Based on KAYAK searches from the last 72 hours, if you fly from Cape Town, you should have a good chance of getting the best deal to Istanbul Airport as it was the cheapest place to fly from. Prices were found for as low as R5 064 one-way and R9 542 for a return flight. Also in the last 72 hours, the most popular connection to Istanbul Airport was from Johannesburg and the lowest price for a return flight was R9 542.

How much is a flight to Istanbul Airport?

The average and cheapest price for all round-trip flights to Istanbul Airport from each origin found by users searching on KAYAK in the last month.

On average, a flight to Istanbul Airport costs R10 477. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks cost R5 579 and departed from Cape Town. The most popular routes on KAYAK are Johannesburg to Istanbul Airport which costs R12 463 on average, and Durban to Istanbul Airport, which costs R14 464 on average.

See prices from:

What is the cheapest month to fly to Istanbul Airport?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for flights to Istanbul Airport, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the median of all values for each month.

The cheapest month for flights to Istanbul Airport is February, where tickets cost R10 599 on average for one-way flights. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and July, where the average cost of tickets from South Africa is R13 516 and R12 762 respectively. For return trips, the best month to travel is February with an average price of R9 576.

What is a good deal for flights to Istanbul Airport?

If you’re looking for cheap airfare to Istanbul Airport, 25% of our users found tickets to Istanbul Airport for the following prices or less: From Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport R7 159 one-way - R11 207 return, from Cape Town R7 240 one-way - R12 013 return.

How far in advance should I book a flight to Istanbul Airport?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights to Istanbul Airport, 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.

Good to know – Book Cheap Istanbul Airport Plane Tickets

Low seasonFebruary
Cheapest flightR5 064
Best time to beat the crowds (11% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 10% lower on average.
Flight from Cape Town to Istanbul 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 Airport flights

  • What is the cheapest flight to Istanbul Airport?

    Based on KAYAK searches from the last 72 hours, if you fly from Cape Town, you should have a good chance of getting the best deal to Istanbul Airport as it was the cheapest place to fly from. Prices were found for as low as R5 064 one-way and R9 542 for a return flight. Also in the last 72 hours, the most popular connection to Istanbul Airport was from Johannesburg and the lowest price for a return flight was R9 542.

  • How far is Istanbul Airport from central Istanbul?

    There are 34 km between Istanbul city centre and Istanbul Airport.

  • How much is a flight to Istanbul?

    On average, a flight to Istanbul costs R10 477. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks cost R5 579 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 R12 713. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Saturday, where prices are R13 914 on average.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights to Istanbul Airport?

    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 Airport.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket to Istanbul Airport?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Istanbul Airport 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 Airport?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional return ticket. You could then fly to Istanbul Airport 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 Airport?

    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 Airport 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 Airport?

    The cheapest time of day to fly to Istanbul Airport is generally in the morning, when flights cost R9 397 on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to Istanbul Airport is generally in the evening, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is R13 055.

Top tips for finding cheap flights to Istanbul Airport

  • Looking for cheap airfare to Istanbul Airport? 25% of our users found return tickets to Istanbul Airport for the following prices or less: From Durban R10 622, from Johannesburg OR Tambo R27 074, from Cape Town R28 152
  • Enter your preferred departure airport and travel dates into the search form above to unlock the latest Istanbul Airport 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 Airport, which days they fly and book direct flights.

Direct departures

South Africa to Istanbul

Monday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +115 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +116 more

Tuesday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +119 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +120 more

Wednesday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +115 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +116 more

Thursday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +118 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +119 more

Friday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +121 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +122 more

Saturday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +111 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +112 more

Sunday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +117 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +118 more

See more direct flights

Direct returns

Istanbul to South Africa

Monday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +115 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +116 more

Tuesday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +119 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +120 more

Wednesday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +115 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +116 more

Thursday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +118 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +119 more

Friday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +121 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +122 more

Saturday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +111 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +112 more

Sunday

ANA, AZIMUTH, Aegean Airlines, +117 more

ANA, AZIMUTH, +118 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 3440 reviews
8,0Comfort
8,2Entertainment
8,3Crew
8,1Boarding
7,9Food
Airline reviews

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

8,0 ExcellentEden, Dec 2025
DUR - DXB
Read more Emirates reviews

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.

in today's time, an airline like emirates didnt serve drinks as requested, Excuse was full flight.

Very poor boarding experience with these remote gates and buses. Also these 777s bardy need a remodeling. Entertainment is a bit laggy. Food and crew is still among the better, but they seriously have to do something with these remote gates.

Super flight. On time departure and arrival. Very good service. Luggage arrival at DXB was a little delayed but you can’t have everything the very best :)

No kids provided. Instead we were told to have contacted the airline that we have kids and require kids meals. We were not the only ones who inquired about kids meals. It’s odd. Emirates and other airlines give kids meals as standard and before the adult food comes out. The rice in our meals was gluggy and under cooked. The chicken was also raw. Sadly not the best experience with Finn Air. The hostesses tried to compensate with the snacks and drinks but missed the mark by a long way. Especially when paying Emirates/Qantas prices

Sadly I couldn't get the food I requested as it was out. Also, if you don't want to be woken up make sure the crew knows it. My wife was woken on every service.

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.

I had a good experience flying with Emirates. All of the flights were on time staff was very professional and kind. So I had a positive experience..

Three meals on a single flight is disgusting. Even if I reject them all, sleeping is impossible and all that food (especially wasted food) is just antithetical to a pleasant flight experience. People were chucking multiple abandoned trays on the floor in front of my seat.

I appreciated the vailability of wheelchair services for persons with mobility issues all the way up to the aircraft. What could be better would be the food choices.

Paid $10 for wifi for full flight duration and the wifi wasn’t available after initial 2 hours

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.

Nothing to complain. The staff and flight was good especially the seats which was better compared than the cloth ones on Qatar airways

Liked some flight attendants. 1 was rude I'll not say her name I don't want to get her jn trouble on my flight back to Dallas from Doha. Very rude to some races of people clearly. She needs a better attitude and bedside manners. Asking her questions and she responds "WHAT" twice rudely like I was bothering her and "is it going to be cranberry or mango juice with an attitude".

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.

Doha airport is huge , takes long time to reach gate .

As gold member there is no priority checkin. Meaning you either have to board with your zone or last with business class pax. As economy pax all the baggage bays are filled by the time you arrive

Besides the flight cancellation, everything else was prefect. Kudos to Malaysian Airlines.

I missed my flight ,staff unhelpful, they sat and watched me wait ,gangway door closed, English was a problem no announcement I was on time now I missed my month vacation ,lost 1400 bucks no refund I'm sick to my stomach

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

Poor boarding with incorrect gate numbers. Poor service they told me to throw away brand new water bottles. Poor immigration officers most likely American who hates Muslims. Poor service in the plane with no Urdu language sign posted anywhere. Horrible seats with no comfort at all they think people traveling in economy are animals. Slow food and water services. Slow baggage arrival.

Will never book any flight from Kayak and will never travel ithad airline

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

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.

second leg was more comfortable. Customer service in Abu Dhabi is okay.

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.

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

The staff were wonderful but the seats weren't very comfortable for a bigger guy like me.

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

it was like a banya -so hot... They did provide a great experience with special food. one toilet broke midflight In general it was a peaceful and relaxing flight - for business class it was good.

Chicago to Istanbul was a much better experience than I expected since I’m more accustomed to Qatar Airways business class. The business lounge in the Istanbul airport was amazing - loved the lockers and phone charging stations, and the bathroom was a spa experience in itself. The onward leg from Istanbul to Karachi was utterly disappointing. Terrible plane, and I felt like I was in economy - the seats don’t come near to lying flat and the food was mediocre. What a sad downgrade - it isn’t as though the ticket on that leg was cheaper. So, on that front, there’s no contest with Qatar airways.

I already checked in online and provided with a window seat by default which was OK with me. When I printed the pass at the airport, I found that the seat number was different (aisle but in same row). By that time, all window seats were taken up, I am surprised that TK can unilaterally change seats after completed online checkin.

Second leg of Turkish Airline with Indigo is disaster for following reason. 1) You have to carry your cabin bags through ladder to boeing 777 because it was parked somewhere in parking lot and was not given a gate to board passengers and this seems to be people traveling to and fro from those flights and is not issue with flight itself. 2) I choose non vegetarian food on Turkish portal way ahead of checkin to entire trip, However the Indigo flight gave me random veg food saying they code veg food code from Turkish. 3) Indigo did not served any alcoholic beverages stating some weird reason which is non nonsensical. 4)Indigo have TV screens in front of you but it displays nothing except "Welcome Onboard" with annoying white black ground in dark flight. This is the most stupidest and annoying part because you are held hostage for 7 hours and only thing you could do is stare back at white screen which does not have entertainment package or even flight tracker. Such a shame.

flight was full and folks coming from Dubai all wear this strong perfume (OUD) which is annoying. Also, not sure why but these fools all stand up and get ready to bail once the plane stops. they seem to all run for the door which is funny AF. Plane was a 2 4 2 configuration and kind of an older plane with USB connection. Food wasn't that great either. Not sure i'd take this airline again since i have no plans on going to Istanbul again. Emirates is definitely better if you want to go from US to DXB,

I had ordered gluten free vegetarian but I got chicken instead. I wasn’t able to eat the meal. It’s hard not having food to eat when it’s an international flight. I don’t want to complain but when it’s a 14 hours flight. It would be nice to have something to eat.

Amazing service on board in business class. The lounges are also great. The inflight entertainment could do with a larger selection and the food choices more but overall, very pleased.

Horrible, hated every part of it. They do not have business class- just tried to make one row. Boarding was a mess- felt like hungry people fighting for food. Will never ever travel in Indigo

Overall it was good. Food was bad. I ordered gluten free vegetarian meal. But I got gluten free chicken for my long flight from Seattle to Istanbul. I don’t eat any kind of meat. Second meal I got eggplant with meat which I couldn’t eat. I don’t understand why we can’t get gluten free vegetarian meal for a 12 hour flight. I eat the bread and that was it.

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

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.

The Boeing 737 MAX on this route, flown in the middle of the night, is an UTTER FAILURE for business travellers. The whole point of business travel is to arrive alert and recover from travel quickly, and this little aeroplane with its quarter recline uncomfortable business seats does nothing for that. It’s a small step up from economy in that you have decent legroom, but that’s it. Absolute margin at the cost of the traveller.

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

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.

Delays delays making us miss or next connection to IAD hence having to stay additional 24 hrs in Addis Ababa

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 😡

It was an old aircraft, stiff seats almost wooden chairs with thin cushions. Food was ok.

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

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