Smoking access varies across Turkey’s airports: some provide outdoor terraces after security, while others have only landside options. Use the airport comparison and linked guides below to check your terminal and domestic or international departure area. For Istanbul’s individual terraces and balconies, open the Istanbul Airport (IST) smoking guide.
Smoking Regulations at Turkish Airports
Turkey banned indoor smoking in enclosed public spaces in 2009 under Law No. 4207. Because that ban covers enclosed terminal areas, most airports provide designated outdoor smoking terraces and balconies rather than indoor rooms; the exception is the indoor smoking area inside Milas-Bodrum Airport’s International Terminal lounge. Istanbul Airport (IST), one of the world’s largest, has an extensive network of outdoor terraces and balconies after security throughout its departure areas.
Smoking outside designated areas is prohibited and fines can be enforced.
What to Expect at Turkish Airports
Istanbul’s airside smoking is on open-air terraces and balconies — Turkey’s ban on smoking in enclosed spaces means there are no indoor smoking rooms at IST. The smoking facilities are available after security, so connecting passengers can use them without leaving the transit zone.
Vaping follows the same rules as regular smoking — use designated areas only.
Best Airports for Smokers in Turkey
- Istanbul Airport (IST) — 13 smoking terraces and 6 balconies throughout the terminal
- Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) — open-air terraces past security on both the international airside (by the Gate Cafe) and the domestic airside
- Antalya Airport (AYT) — an airside smoking terrace by the gates in International Terminal 1, International Terminal 2 and the Domestic Terminal
- Izmir Adnan Menderes (ADB) — an open-air courtyard near Gate 233 on the international airside and terraces by Gates 236, 238 and 242 in the Domestic Terminal
- Ankara Esenboğa (ESB) — an open-air café terrace on the lower level near Gate 301, past domestic security
- Dalaman Airport (DLM) — an open-air smoking terrace after security in the International Terminal, opposite Gate 39, described by travellers in September 2024; the airport lists no after-security area in the Domestic Terminal
- Milas-Bodrum Airport (BJV) — a smoking area and terrace inside the International Terminal’s Primeclass Lounge, after security
- Trabzon Airport (TZX) — smoking is landside only, in the open air outside the terminal, where Turkish law permits it
- Çukurova International Airport (COV) — Turkey’s newest airport (opened August 2024); open-air smoking outside the terminal, landside, where Turkish law permits it — the airport publishes no smoking facility yet
- Gaziantep Airport (GZT) — an open-air terrace after security in the Domestic Terminal, near Gate 106, described by travellers in July 2023 and April 2026
- Kayseri Erkilet (ASR) — a compact open-air terrace after security in the domestic terminal, between Gates 205 and 206, described by a traveller in March 2024
- Diyarbakır Airport (DIY) — open-air smoking outside the terminal; a 2026 terminal renovation added a new smoking area whose location the airport has not published
Tips for Smokers at Turkish Airports
- Look for smoking terrace signs in the departure concourse
- Istanbul Airport has an extensive network of outdoor terraces and balconies after security
- Connecting passengers can use transit zone smoking areas
- Vaping follows the same rules as regular cigarettes
Turkey Airports Compared: Indoor, Outdoor & After Security
| Airport | After security | Indoor room | Outdoor area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoking at Ankara Esenboga Airport – ESB | Yes | – | Yes |
| Smoking at Antalya Airport – AYT | Yes | – | Yes |
| Smoking at Çukurova International Airport – COV | – | – | Yes |
| Smoking at Dalaman Airport – DLM | Yes | – | Yes |
| Smoking at Diyarbakır Airport – DIY | – | – | Yes |
| Smoking at Gaziantep Airport – GZT | Yes | – | Yes |
| Istanbul Airport (IST) | Yes | – | Yes |
| Smoking at Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport – SAW | Yes | – | Yes |
| Smoking at Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport – ADB | Yes | – | Yes |
| Smoking at Kayseri Erkilet Airport – ASR | Yes | – | Yes |
| Smoking at Milas-Bodrum Airport – BJV | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Smoking at Trabzon Airport – TZX | – | – | Yes |