London Gatwick to Istanbul IST flights (LGW–IST)

LGWLondon Gatwick Airport
United Kingdom

ISTİstanbul Airport
Turkey

Turkish Airlines flies London Gatwick to Istanbul IST (LGW–IST) nonstop and back, a great-circle distance of 2,460 km (1,530 mi).

From: LGW; London Gatwick
To: IST; Istanbul IST
Nonstop: Yes · 1 airline
Airlines: TK
Distance: 2,460 km (1,530 mi)
Time difference: Istanbul IST 2 hours ahead
Time in the air: 3h 12m · 3h 29m back
On time (Touchdown Index): 89.7%
Flights a week: TK ~11
Aircraft seen: Airbus A321neo · Airbus A321 · Airbus A350-900

Data from the sources listed, updated:25 September 2026· How we verify

When to fly LGW–IST

Days in Istanbul IST average 18–28 °C in May, June, July, September and October. Set your watch 2 hours forward on landing at IST.

London Gatwick to Istanbul IST: frequently asked questions

Tracked flights between 6 September and 3 October 2026, from public ADS-B data.

How long is the LGW–IST flight?

3h 12m wheels-up to wheels-down, the median of 82 tracked flights; IST–LGW took 3h 29m.

Which airlines fly LGW–IST direct?

Turkish Airlines.

What is the time difference between London Gatwick and Istanbul IST?

Istanbul IST is 2 hours ahead of London Gatwick: a LGW departure at noon is 14:00 local time in IST.

Is LGW–IST usually on time?

89.7% of 78 LGW–IST flights landed within 15 minutes of their usual time; 5.1% were over an hour late.

How many LGW–IST flights a week?

Turkish Airlines 11 each way.

What aircraft fly LGW–IST?

Airbus A321neo, Airbus A321 and Airbus A350-900.

Istanbul IST to London Gatwick: the return flight (IST–LGW)

All 1 airline also flies IST–LGW nonstop.

The return takes 3h 29m in the air (median of 3 tracked flights), 17 minutes longer than LGW–IST.

Airlines flying LGW–IST nonstop

Airline	Usually takes off (LGW time)	Type	Alliance
Turkish Airlines TK	07:47–18:10	full-service	Star Alliance

One-stop alternatives to flying LGW–IST nonstop

One airline on both legs; check it's sold as one ticket.

Via Budapest (BUD) with Wizz Air: 2,480 km (1,540 mi) flown, 1% further than nonstop.
Via Paris (CDG) with Air France: 2,520 km (1,570 mi) flown, 2% further than nonstop.
Via Split (SPU) with Croatia Airlines: 2,550 km (1,580 mi) flown, 4% further than nonstop.
Via Athens (ATH) with Aegean Airlines and Sky Express (Greece): 2,950 km (1,830 mi) flown, 20% further than nonstop.
Via Barcelona (BCN) with Vueling: 3,330 km (2,070 mi) flown, 35% further than nonstop.

LGW–IST route map

Great-circle distance 2,460 km (1,530 mi). Illustrative route, not an actual flight track.

Also consider Sabiha Gökçen

Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW) also has nonstop flights from LGW: Pegasus Airlines.

Departure

London Gatwick Airport

Gatwick (LGW), London. In our data, 59 airlines fly nonstop from LGW to 214 destinations.

View LGW airport guide →

Arrival

İstanbul Airport

3 ways into Istanbul, fastest from 35 min:

M11 metro 35–40 min
Havaist airport coach 1h–1h 40m
Taxi (meter) 45 min–1h 30m

Full IST transport guide →

Weather in Istanbul IST vs London Gatwick

Istanbul IST is warmer than London Gatwick in 8 months and cooler in 0; the biggest gap is in August (28°C against 23°C). In October it averages 20°C in Istanbul IST and 16°C in London Gatwick.

Average daily high and low temperature in Istanbul IST, °C
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec

Istanbul IST	9°	9°	12°	16°	21°	26°	28°	28°	25°	20°	15°	11°
London Gatwick	9°	9°	12°	16°	19°	22°	24°	23°	21°	16°	12°	9°

Average daily highs. Climate normals from Istanbul and Climate of London (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA), which cite the national weather services.

Other nonstop airport pairs, London to Istanbul

London and Istanbul are connected nonstop from more than one airport. Compare the pairs by airline count:

Onward from Istanbul IST

Places you can't fly to nonstop from LGW, but can from IST — for a stopover or a second leg.

Related routes

Sources

en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations, checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations, checked 2026-10-01
turkishairlines.com — Turkish Airlines destinations from Istanbul
en.wikipedia.org — current destination list, cross-checked 2026-09-25 (terminated routes removed)
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01
en.wikipedia.org — airlines and destinations table (passenger), checked 2026-10-01

Flight tracking: adsb.lol community ADS-B data (CC0), 6 September – 3 October 2026. Times are median wheels-up to wheels-down; add taxiing for gate-to-gate.

Report a change — seen something different at the airport or on the airline's site? We re-check and log corrections publicly.