Sabiha Gökçen arrivals: what happens between landing and the kerb

SAW is easier to read than its larger sister on the European side. Everything happens in one terminal building, which has a domestic and an international landside area on the arrivals level. You come out into the one that matches your flight.

• International flights pass passport control and customs, then exit into the international landside area.
• Domestic flights from other Turkish cities skip passport control and exit into the domestic landside area.
• In both cases the driver is at the exit door your flight uses, holding your name. We read the right exit from your flight number.

The airport's own pages say that taxis and public transport wait in front of the terminal building at arrivals level. That is the kerb outside; your driver comes inside to the exit door and walks you out to the vehicle.

1. 01Off the aircraftDepending on where the aircraft parks, you walk through an air bridge or ride a bus to the terminal. Either way you end up in the same arrivals corridor.
2. 02Passport controlHave the passport open at the photo page. If your nationality needs an e-visa, apply only at evisa.gov.tr before travelling.
3. 03Bags and customsFind your flight number on the belt screens, collect the bags and walk through customs.
4. 04The exit doorYour driver stands at the door you walk out of, with a printed sign showing your name. From there it is a short walk to the car.

According to sabihagokcen.aero, the arrivals level has these services spread between its two landside areas.

• Bank branches in the domestic landside area, and cash machines in the terminal.
• A post office (PTT) in the international landside area.
• Car rental desks on the arrivals level, in both the domestic and the international area.
• Free Wi-Fi on the airport's own network, handy for a WhatsApp message to dispatch.
• Istanbulkart travel cards, sold at the İETT kiosks near the bus area, in case you will use the metro or ferries later in the stay.

You do not need any of them for the transfer itself. The fare is paid at the end of the ride, in EUR, GBP or lira cash or by Visa or Mastercard on the card terminal in the vehicle.

When several flights land close together, the area outside the exit fills up quickly with people holding signs, and one more sheet of paper is easy to miss.

• Stop just past the door and read the signs slowly before walking further.
• Do not go out to the taxi rank or the bus stops in front of the terminal; the driver is looking for you at the exit, not on the kerb.
• Message +90 551 464 26 32 on WhatsApp, or call the same number, and dispatch will connect you with the driver.
• Ignore offers from anyone who does not hold a sign with your name. Your vehicle is already booked.

The airport also has a paid escort service, ALLWAYS Meet and Assist, which can take travellers through a dedicated passport lane. It is run independently of us and you do not need it to meet your driver.

Sabiha Gökçen is in Pendik and Kurtköy, on the Asian side, and the airport says it is reached via the TEM motorway. For a SAW arrival, the Asian districts are the same side: Kadıköy, Moda, Üsküdar, Ataşehir, Bostancı, Maltepe and Kartal are all €50 in the Eco Van.

Taksim, Sultanahmet, Beşiktaş, Şişli and every other European-side address cross the Bosphorus and cost €70. The step from €50 to €70 reflects the bridge or tunnel and the longer drive, not the hour, the season or the number of bags.

• Eco Van, up to six people: €50 same side, €70 cross side.
• Mercedes Vito: €60 or €80.
• Mercedes V-Class: €65 or €85.
• Sprinter minibus, up to sixteen people: €80 or €100.

For a family of four staying in Kadıköy, that means €50 for the Eco Van and nothing more, whatever the number of people in it up to six. The same family staying near Taksim pays €70, and choosing a larger vehicle simply adds its fixed amount to either figure.

We follow the flight number, so the pick-up moves with the real landing time. A delay costs you nothing, and the fare is the same at three in the morning as at three in the afternoon.

For late flights it is worth knowing the alternatives too. Havabus publishes its own timetables for the Taksim and Kadıköy lines on havabus.com, and the M4 metro has served the airport since October 2022. A pre-booked car is simply the option that does not depend on a timetable.

When you fly home from Sabiha Gökçen, the drop-off works in reverse. The airport sends domestic travellers to the east entrance of the terminal and international travellers to the west entrance, so tell the driver which kind of flight you are taking and you will be set down at the right door.