For an IST-SAW airport change, leave a generous connection margin, confirm Havaist or Havabüs details with the operator, or pre-book a direct transfer.
Quick answer: plan the airport change, not a guessed time
For a connection between Istanbul Airport (IST) and Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW), Treat the journey as a separate airport change: leave a generous connection margin, confirm the current public Havaist or Havabüs details with the operator before travelling, or use a direct private transfer when the second flight leaves little room for uncertainty.
The key planning point is that the airports sit on opposite sides of the city. IST is on the European side in Arnavutköy; SAW is on the Asian side in Pendik. Moving between them means crossing Istanbul rather than making a simple terminal change.
What changes at IST
Istanbul Airport is a single-terminal airport. International and domestic arrivals share the same building, which helps with orientation, while the terminal still involves real walking distance: the walk from an arrival gate to the main baggage hall can exceed 180 meters. The airport runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and DHMİ lists customs and immigration, health and sanitation, ground handling and security as H24.
If you are changing airports after a long flight, make the first task simple: leave the terminal, reach the meeting point, then begin the cross-city leg.
What changes at SAW
Sabiha Gökçen Airport is also a single terminal, with domestic and international passengers under one roof. It is in Pendik on the Asian side and is the main base for low-cost carrier traffic such as Pegasus Airlines. SAW can stay busy at night, especially between 23:00 and 04:00, so a late airport change should not be treated as a quiet terminal hop.
From arrivals, walk straight out and cross under the pedestrian overpass; the meeting point is opposite columns 10 and 13. If SAW is your second airport, keep the departure terminal details and airline booking ready before you leave IST.
Public links: useful, but confirm before you commit
SAW lists a Havaist link between iGA Istanbul Airport and Sabiha Gökçen Airport as having started on 1 January 2026, and also lists Havabüs services for Taksim-SAW and Kadıköy-SAW from the same date. These are official public-transport references, but services can change, so confirm the current route, stopping point and timing with the operator before the travel day.
At IST, iGA lists Havaist boarding on Transportation floor -2 and describes Havaist and İETT city routes. Those route counts and line numbers are operational details, so they are useful for orientation rather than something to build a close flight connection around without checking again.
Metro and bus notes for airport-change planning
The metro networks are useful for city travel, but an airport-to-airport change is different. On the IST side, the M11 metro reached Gayrettepe on 29 January 2024 and the Halkalı-Arnavutköy extension opened on 20 June 2026; the stop list includes Istanbul Airport, Gayrettepe, Kağıthane, Arnavutköy and Halkalı. The Ministry of Transport has stated train travel times from Gayrettepe, Taksim and 4. Levent to Istanbul Airport, but those are station-to-airport train figures and do not describe an IST-SAW airport change.
On the SAW side, Metro İstanbul describes the M4 Kadıköy-Sabiha Gökçen line as 33.5 km long with 23 stations, a 52-minute journey and 06:00-00:00 operating hours. This helps if you are connecting SAW with Kadıköy or the Asian side, but it still does not create a single airport-to-airport route time.
When a private transfer is the practical choice
- Your second flight is the same day. A direct transfer avoids building the plan around public-service changes you still need to confirm.
- You land late at night. IST and SAW both operate around the clock, while public transport follows different patterns by hour.
- You have checked bags. The airport change begins only after you have exited the first terminal with everything you need for the next flight.
- You are travelling as a group. One pickup point and one destination airport keep the cross-city part easier to manage.
Before you book flights through different airports
First, check whether the connection really needs two Istanbul airports. If you can keep both flights at IST or both at SAW, that is simpler. If the two-airport plan is unavoidable, leave a generous connection margin, check the public operator if you plan to use Havaist or Havabüs, and share both flight numbers when arranging a private transfer. Flight status is monitored for airport pickups, and pickup timing may be adjusted based on the actual arrival time.
Frequently asked questions
How should I plan the IST to SAW connection?
Leave a generous flight-connection margin, confirm current public-service details with the operator, or arrange a direct transfer when the connection is tight.
Is there a public airport-to-airport service?
SAW lists a Havaist link between iGA Istanbul Airport and Sabiha Gökçen Airport from 1 January 2026. Confirm the current details with the operator before travelling.
Where do private transfers meet at each airport?
At IST, pickups use the arrivals level at Gate 13, with Gate 14 for some operators.
For airport arrival details and transfer options, see the Istanbul Airport and Sabiha Gökçen Airport pages.
