SAW
Istanbul (Asian side, Pendik), Turkey
Sabiha Gokcen has a main terminal building (called T2) where domestic and international flights share a roof, with separate domestic and international sections that each have their own security. Since 29 December 2025 an older building (T1) has been joined to it by an enclosed bridge about 240 metres long, and the airport lists some international gates there. Pegasus said in July 2025 that moving between flights rarely takes more than 15 to 20 minutes, but that was written before T1 opened, so do not count on it. If long walks are hard for you, ask your airline for wheelchair help.
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Put it on their phone before the trip, so it is there at the airport even without you.
Your bags go through. You only change planes.
When you leave the plane, take your carry-on bag, passport, medicine and boarding pass. On one booking with the same airline, the airport and Pegasus both say your checked bag is usually sent on to your final city by itself, so do not go to the baggage belt unless your airline tells you to. Pegasus pages say some trips from abroad to a flight inside Turkey need you to collect the bag and check it in again. Before you travel, check that both flights are on one booking reference, and ask your airline whether your bag is checked through to your final city or whether you must collect it at Sabiha Gokcen.
Look for signs that say Transfer or Transit passengers. Pegasus calls the way 'International Transit / Transfer Passenger'. The airport says transfer passengers should go first to their airline's help desk and follow the transfer directions. If you are changing between two international flights, do not follow signs for Arrivals, Baggage or Exit, because those lead you out of the transfer area. If your first flight is inside Turkey and your next flight is international, one travel site says you must leave to the public hall, go up one floor, and pass security and passport control again. Ask your airline or the staff at the transfer desk which route is yours.
Pegasus says to check your gate and terminal in the Pegasus app or on the airport screens. One travel site (updated June 2026) says Pegasus and AJet counters inside the international transfer corridor are open day and night if you have no boarding pass for the second flight. This is not on an official page, so ask any uniformed staff member if you do not see one.
Expect a security check before the gates. Pegasus's general page says international connections usually include passport control, but one travel site says international-to-international transfers at this airport skip passport control. It is not clear which is true today, so follow the signs and the staff and keep your passport ready. If your second flight is inside Turkey, expect passport control and security (the same travel site says a separate transfer passport line is sometimes used and sometimes closed).
Look at the departure screens or the Pegasus app for your flight number and read the gate next to it. Since 10 May 2026 the airport makes almost no announcements, so do not wait to hear your flight called. Write the gate on paper, and look at the screen again before you walk to the gate, because gates can change. Do not walk to a gate you have only heard about from another person.
Do not leave the transfer area to look for it. One travel guide says international gates are often shown only 30 to 45 minutes before departure, but that is not official. Sit near a departure screen where you can see it, keep your boarding pass in your hand, and ask airline or airport staff at a desk if the screen shows nothing.
If you are changing between two international flights, stay inside the secure area once you are through and do not collect your bag. If your airline told you to collect your bag or to leave the transfer area, follow that advice. Ask staff for help and say the phrase 'Transfer bankosu nerede?' (Where is the transfer desk?). If you were given wheelchair help, stay with your helper until you reach your gate.
You collect your bags and check in again. Allow much more time.
With two separate tickets, the airport and Pegasus say you are responsible for your own bags and check-in. You must enter Turkey, so follow the signs for Arrivals and Passport Control with your passport (and visa, if you need one). A travel site says queues here can be 20 to 45 minutes. Keep the details of your next flight in your hand.
Whether you need a visa or e-visa to enter Turkey, even for a few hours, depends on your passport. Check the Turkish government or e-visa website and with your airline before you book. Pegasus warns that a passenger without a required visa can be stopped at passport control and the ticket becomes invalid.
After passport control, find your flight on the screen over the baggage belts and collect your suitcase. Use a trolley if you need one. Porters are at the terminal entrances, but they charge a fee.
Go to the Departures floor and find the check-in counters of the airline for your next flight. Pegasus says to check in for the next flight at the counters of the airline you will fly next, and drop your bag there. Check-in and bag drop may be shown on the airport screens or on the Pegasus app.
After check-in, you go through security again, and for an international flight through passport control again, then to your gate. The airport asks you to be there 3 hours before an international flight and 2 hours before a domestic flight, and boarding passes are not issued later than 60 minutes (international) or 45 minutes (domestic) before departure.
There is no official minimum connection time for separate tickets. Because the airport itself says to arrive 3 hours before an international flight, plan at least 3 hours between landing and takeoff, and more is safer. Delays are not covered: if you miss the second flight on a separate ticket, the airline is not responsible, and you may need to buy a new ticket.
Go to the airline's counter or ask any airport staff member for help, and ask early. Use the phrase 'Aktarma uçuşumu bulmak için yardıma ihtiyacım var.'
The airport's own transfer page does not say whether you must pass passport control on a same-ticket connection, so check with your airline before you fly. Pegasus's general connecting-flight page says an international connection goes through passport control without collecting your checked bag. One recent travel site says international-to-international transfers at this airport have a security check but no passport control, while flights into Turkey's domestic network need passport control. Separate tickets always mean entering Turkey through passport control, so your passport must allow entry (visa-free, e-visa or visa). Some passports need an airport transit visa for Turkey even if you never leave the transit area. We could not check which ones, so look up your own passport on the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs website and ask your airline before you book.
The airport has an Arrivals floor, a Departures floor and a Mezzanine, plus a separate plan for Remote Gates. The airport offers Inter-Airport Service vehicles with access for disabled passengers to reach aircraft, which suggests some flights board away from the main building. Since 29 December 2025 the main building (T2) is joined to the older T1 building by an enclosed bridge about 240 metres long. Turkish news reports say the bridge has moving walkways. Pegasus said in July 2025 that moving through the terminal rarely takes more than 15 to 20 minutes, but that was before the T1 building and its bridge opened, so allow more time and do not rush. A travel site gives average transfer times of 20 to 30 minutes (international to international) and 30 to 60 minutes (when passport control is needed or you change between domestic and international sides), and says you take an elevator or escalator between the floors when changing from domestic to international. We could not confirm any train, shuttle or electric cart between gates. The airport offers a route finder on its website and app (launched April 2019) that shows the way from your location to your gate, to passport control, a pharmacy or a prayer room.
Ask your airline. For Pegasus, request wheelchair help when you buy the ticket or at least 48 hours before the flight, by calling 0 850 250 67 02 inside Turkey or +90 850 250 67 77 from other countries (Pegasus Help page and General Rules 10.4.2). If you ask for wheelchair help less than 48 hours before the flight, Pegasus says it can only be given if available and may not be on time. Describe what you need, for example that you cannot walk long distances or climb stairs. For a connection, tell the airline that you are changing planes and ask them to confirm that help is arranged for each flight and at the changeover. If your tickets are separate, ask each airline. At the airport where your trip starts, Pegasus says to begin check-in at least 2 hours before departure, and that the help can add time to check-in, boarding and security.
The airport has a help and assistance phone booth next to the disabled entrance on the Departures level. Press 1 for Turkish Airlines or AJet, 2 for Pegasus, and 3 for other airlines. The booth is at the terminal entrance, probably before security, so it is mainly for people who have left the transfer area. If you are inside the transfer area, ask any uniformed staff member or the airline desk. The airport page lists wheelchair service in the international and domestic terminals, staff help from check-in and boarding through security to your seat, accessible toilets, and Braille tablets at all information desks. For wheelchair questions the airport lists PortClinic on +90 216 588 87 80/81 for Pegasus and Airclinic on +90 216 588 22 22 for AJet (the FAQ also lists Airclinic for Turkish Airlines).
The airport page does not say whether wheelchair help is free, how many hours ahead to book, or where the helper meets you. A mobility company says it is free and gives meeting points, but we could not confirm this from the airport or Pegasus. Pegasus rules say that a passenger who cannot manage personal needs such as eating or using the toilet, and who travels without a companion, can be refused carriage, and that cabin crew cannot lift you or help with the toilet. If you need that kind of help, tell the airline about it when you book. The airport shows no electric cart or buggy service, and no free service that is separate from the airline. Paid private meet-and-assist services exist.
The airport's official transfer page says transfer and transit passengers should go first to their airline's help desk and follow the transfer or transit directions, but it gives no desk location. The airport says there are information desks (they hold Braille tablets), but we could not find where they are. There is a help phone booth next to the disabled entrance on the Departures level (press 2 for Pegasus). It is probably outside the secure area. Pegasus says signs are in Turkish and English. We found no official statement of Persian, Arabic or other language support. The airport also lists a first-aid unit open all day and night, and a route-finder map on its website and app.
Official pages confirm: an around-the-clock first-aid unit (its location is not given) and two ambulances; Nuray Pharmacy on the Departures floor, open all day and night, though it is in the international area before security; and accessible toilets in both terminals. The airport's prayer-room page lists 10 rooms (5 women, 5 men), with locations on the Mezzanine level of Domestic Departures, the Mezzanine of International Departures and near some gates. Its FAQ gives a different count and also mentions a room for other faiths, so ask staff if you cannot find one. Kepler sleep cabins are on the Mezzanine after passport control (hourly beds with a shower and locker, 28 for men, 14 for women, 5 for families), booked and paid at self-service kiosks with a QR code, which may be hard for some older travelers. A 128-room airport hotel is next to the terminal. The airport says you reach it by a walk of about five minutes after leaving the terminal, so it is outside the secure area, and you may have to enter Turkey to reach it. Check visa rules and call the hotel (+90 216 588 50 00) before you plan to use it. Pegasus says there are seats near charging points and free Wi-Fi. The airport's own FAQ says free internet is limited to 1 hour, so save your boarding pass and gate on your phone or on paper. We could not confirm where free drinking water or quiet seating areas are.
Show this to a member of staff if you cannot say it. In Turkish (written in the Latin alphabet; signs are in Turkish and English)
Aktarma uçuşumu bulmak için yardıma ihtiyacım var. (Say it like: ak-tar-MA oo-choo-shoo-MOO bool-MAHK ee-CHEEN yar-duh-MA ih-tee-yah-JUHM var.)
I need help to find my connecting flight.
Transfer bankosu nerede? (Say it like: trans-FAIR ban-ko-SOO neh-reh-DEH?)
Where is the transfer desk?
Tekerlekli sandalyeye ihtiyacım var, lütfen. (Say it like: teh-kehr-lek-LEE san-dal-yeh-YEH ih-tee-yah-JUHM var, lewt-FEN.)
I need a wheelchair, please.
Print this page, fill in the lines by hand, and keep the card in your pocket.
I am traveling alone. I need help to find my connecting flight. Please show me the way, or call someone who can help me. Thank you.
Aktarma uçuşumu bulmak için yardıma ihtiyacım var. (Say it like: ak-tar-MA oo-choo-shoo-MOO bool-MAHK ee-CHEEN yar-duh-MA ih-tee-yah-JUHM var.)
You can type the details here before printing. They stay on this device only.
Partly checked against official pages.
Airports change signs, gates and rules. This guide is general help, not an official instruction. Always follow the staff and the screens, and check with your airline.
Last prepared 2 November 2026.