IST

R5 320 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 9/2. 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 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
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Everything you should know

Cheapest return fare
R9 853
Typical prices: R9 511-R11 563
Ethiopian Air
Fri 1/5Tue 5/5
JNB - IST • 1 stop
Cheapest direct flights
R13 274
Typical prices: R15 788-R23 417
Turkish Airlines
Tue 20/1Sun 25/1
CPT - IST • Direct
Top routes
CPT-IST
Cheapest
JNB-IST
Most popular
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
When to travel
February
Cheapest • 11% price drop
December
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

Fri, May 1 - Tue, May 5
Ethiopian Air Logo
14:30 - 4:45JNB-IST
13h 15m1 stop
Ethiopian Air Logo
0:10 - 13:05IST-JNB
13h 55m1 stop
R9 853Ethiopian Air
Find Deal
Tue, Jan 20 - Mon, Feb 2
Ethiopian Air Logo
8:20 - 21:20JNB-IST
12h 00m1 stop
Ethiopian Air Logo
23:55 - 13:05IST-JNB
14h 10m1 stop
R9 870Ethiopian Air
Find Deal
Thu, Jan 15 - Tue, Jan 27
Ethiopian Air Logo
8:20 - 21:20JNB-IST
12h 00m1 stop
Ethiopian Air Logo
0:05 - 13:05IST-JNB
14h 00m1 stop
R9 887Ethiopian Air
Find Deal
Thu, Jan 15 - Thu, Jan 22
Ethiopian Air Logo
8:20 - 21:20JNB-IST
12h 00m1 stop
Ethiopian Air Logo
7:35 - 20:10IST-JNB
13h 35m1 stop
R9 904Ethiopian Air
Find Deal
Thu, Jan 22 - Thu, Jan 29
Qatar Airways Logo
13:45 - 18:40JNB-IST
27h 55m1 stop
Qatar Airways Logo
13:50 - 3:55IST-JNB
15h 05m1 stop
R9 938Qatar Airways
Find Deal
Fri, Feb 13 - Fri, Feb 20
Qatar Airways Logo
13:45 - 12:20JNB-IST
21h 35m1 stop
Qatar Airways Logo
13:50 - 8:40IST-JNB
19h 50m1 stop
R9 955Qatar Airways
Find Deal
Sun, Jan 25 - Sun, Feb 1
Egyptair Logo
21:45 - 13:00JNB-IST
14h 15m1 stop
Egyptair Logo
18:50 - 7:10IST-JNB
13h 20m1 stop
R9 990Egyptair
Find Deal
Fri, May 8 - Tue, May 12
Etihad Airways Logo
9:50 - 13:05JNB-IST
26h 15m1 stop
Etihad Airways Logo
14:10 - 8:20IST-JNB
19h 10m1 stop
R10 041Etihad Airways
Find Deal
Fri, Apr 24 - Sun, May 3
Emirates Logo
13:05 - 17:55CPT-IST
27h 50m1 stop
Emirates Logo
23:20 - 11:35IST-CPT
37h 15m1 stop
R10 383Emirates
Find Deal
Tue, Feb 3 - Tue, Feb 10
Emirates Logo
13:40 - 21:55CPT-IST
31h 15m1 stop
Emirates Logo
23:40 - 16:45IST-CPT
18h 05m1 stop
R10 622Emirates
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 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 320 one-way and R9 853 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 853.

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 656. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks cost R6 449 and departed from Cape Town. The most popular routes on KAYAK are Johannesburg to Istanbul Airport which costs R12 865 on average, and Durban to Istanbul Airport, which costs R16 766 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 776 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 770 and R13 017 respectively. For return trips, the best month to travel is February with an average price of R9 767.

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 087 one-way - R11 473 return, from Cape Town R7 412 one-way - R12 330 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 320
Best time to beat the crowds (11% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly (15% more expensive 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 320 one-way and R9 853 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 853.

  • 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 656. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks cost R6 449 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 050. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Saturday, where prices are R14 230 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 586 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 324.

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 R11 538, from Johannesburg OR Tambo R27 205, from Cape Town R29 057
  • 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 3431 reviews
7,9Food
8,0Comfort
8,1Boarding
8,3Crew
8,2Entertainment
Airline reviews

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

2,0 MediocreAli, Nov 2025DXB - KHI
Read more Emirates reviews

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

Could not board flight due to visa issue and emirates staff at the airport refused to help rebook flight because it was made by another provider. It took hours of communicating with my provider and Emirates staff each of whom said it was the others responsibility. As the time passed, I was eventually told it was too late for rebooking as I needed to do this at least three hours before the flight. Emirates staff also said the would unboard me but I believe I was recorded as a no show. Our first flight from Sydney to Dubai was more cramped than other airlines which was surprising considering their reputation.

The 2 sockets near me didjt work i had my phone by end of the flight on low bat and had issues to book uber thereafter Electrical sockets should work if emirates does not allow batteries Baggage claim in zurich took very long

Crew were very good. Food service was a little slow and disappointing not having on demand dining and only 3 options. Amenity kits and pyjamas were excellent.

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.

Can’t complain Only downside was the Kiosk passport check and customs clearance at Melbourne. When will they improve that service🤔

Fantastic service the managed to locate my checked bag on the plans as re-tagged it for my final destination.

I lost my lock from my luggage, I don’t know someone took something from my bag.

Emirates is superb service. The A380 was very comfortable. The cabin crew is really helpful

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

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.

Initial booking was confusing and had to get new CC issued.

Excellent service. The personal adaptation of menus and the individual timing of service of them is fantastic.

Lobster starter in business class was not good, tough, served cold, and without butter. Movie selection was missing latest releases, did not offer older classic, high quality movies

Boarding from DOH to SYD the Business Class were pointed in a separate gate but no one there to receive us. Otherwise it was ok.

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

I wish the leg room was better for Economy especially for the outbound flights to India . The outbound flight to US and Qatar was good

I was travelling 3.5 years after. Agree Economy is no business class but the food was mediocre. Ordered a Hindu meal, the salads were bitter . The food was really below quality and had no tast from what I had in the past. Indian Railways probably have a better quality food when compared. However the kids meal was really nice and really appreciate how they were taken care of. The restrooms were dirty .

Not sure how we end up with American Airlines instead of Qatar Airways. From Philadelphia to Qatar they boarded us then they asked us to unload. After 30 minutes later they board us again. The inside the plane it was burning hot and we were sweating like crazy. Crew members are absolute rude. The way they served the passengers were horrible. One of the crew members hit my knee with food cart and kept going. I was holding an ice pack for almost 2 hours. I am still with the pain.

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.

More leg space than other flights, but *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.

Very delayed and uncomfortable seats. Nothing written in Urdu for Pakistanis. Tons of Pakistanis use the airline they should ensure the airline is accommodating them properly.

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.

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

Same problem place in the middle so small Im 1,85 m so not good 👍

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.

I am a larger than average person and in my opinion i don't think it's fair to allocate a window seat to anyone who is my size or larger, i was seated between 2 large passengers on a full aircraft. The guy in the window seat also occupied a portion of the middle seat (my seat) which made my experience of flying with etihad very cramped and uncomfortable, i was flying from Abu Dhabi to Bangkok. Had this been a airbus 380 it would have been better as the seats are larger but unfortunately it wasn't so i had to endure the 6+hrs unable to get any rest

Old plane, old entertainment system. It wasn't working throughout the entire flight. I was offered to connect to their system via Wifi to watch on my phone. Crew wasn't very helpful except one lady who turned the experience around.

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.

So boarding is a little slow when you fly 787 but on the 777 the business class had its own entrance. The entertainment can be a little bit more up to date Other than that it was a great experience food and service was great

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 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.

My recent experience with ASKY Airlines was disappointing. The check-in process was disorganized, and I was provided with inaccurate information regarding baggage requirements, resulting in unforeseen expenses. Additionally, the ground staff demonstrated a lack of professionalism and appeared insufficiently trained to handle passenger needs effectively. Regrettably, this initial encounter has left me reluctant to consider future travel with the airline.

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.

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.

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

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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