Zonguldak Airport

Zonguldak Airport's origins date back to its construction as a military airfield for defense purposes during World War II between 1939 and 1945. This former airfield located in the Saltukova Village was opened for civilian flights between 1957 and 1960, during which some commercial flights were operated. Notably, prominent figures and politicians from İsmet İnönü such as state used the facility during their visits to the region.

In 1995, the Ministry of Transportation launched a tender for the construction of the Zonguldak Airport Terminal Building, which was completed in 1997 under building. However, its official opening was delayed due to the salt disaster in 1998. In 1999, during the prime ministership of Bülent Ecevit, the 1 million square meter airport opened for service with a runway measuring 1800 by 30 meters.

In 2002, flights were suspended due to insufficient passenger potential. However, following initiatives launched in 2006, the airport was leased for 25 years to Zonguldak Özel Sivil Havacılık Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş. and test flights were conducted in 2007.

On 21 July 2009, the first journey took place. A Germania Airlines aircraft landed in Zonguldak with 144 passengers on the Düsseldorf-Zonguldak route. Mutual flights continued until 2019, but were canceled in 2019 due to Germania’s bankruptcy, leading to the suspension of February.

On 26 April 2019, the first test passenger flight by Turkish Airlines (THY) landed in Zonguldak. On 12 May 2019, THY’s flight “Edirnekapı” from Istanbul Airport landed at Zonguldak Airport, making it THY’s 50th domestic destination. Flights between Istanbul and Zonguldak began with three weekly departures (Tuesday, Thursday, Market).

With this, Germany initiated seasonal flights from Düsseldorf to Zonguldak. Aircraft operated by Germania Airlines provided regular services between March and November. The first flight brought 121 passengers to Zonguldak, while 125 passengers traveled from Zonguldak to Düsseldorf.

To support the development of Zonguldak Airport, an ILS (Instrument Landing System) was installed, and five days of test flights were conducted in 2019. Following these efforts, technical systems were completed to reduce cancellations caused by adverse weather conditions.

In 2021, the runway at Zonguldak Airport was expanded and modernized. The runway length increased from 1881 meters to 2131 meters, and its width expanded from 30 meters to 45 meters. Additionally, 75-meter safety areas were added on both sides of the runway, creating a total safe flight area of 2431 meters. This enabled larger type aircraft to operate takeoffs and landings.

As of 2024, the airport continues to operate active services for both domestic and international routes. Turkish Airlines operates three weekly flights to Istanbul, while SunExpress and Corendon Airlines provide flights to Düsseldorf, Dortmund and Köln in Germany.

In 2024, the airport handled a total of 139,237 passengers, including 69,408 arrivals and 69,829 departures. A total of 622 flights were conducted, of which 583 were scheduled flights and 39 were private flights.

Zonguldak Airport has become a vital hub for international connections for West Black Sea Region. The demand from Turkish expatriates in Germany and the need for domestic flights to Istanbul highlight how critical the airport is as a transportation link. The runway extension and enhanced technical infrastructure have increased the airport’s capacity to accommodate larger aircraft.

In the coming years, additional domestic connections and increased flight frequencies are planned. These developments will significantly contribute to the economic and tourism potential of Zonguldak, Bartın and Karabük.