Logistics services in Türkiye.

Türkiye logistics overview: modes, trade and gateways

Logistics services in Türkiye cover sea, air, rail, and road options for imports and exports. Container traffic is high, at about 13.5 million TEU in 2024, supported by 54 ports and about 7,200 km of coastline. Key ports include Istanbul, Izmir, Mersin, Haydarpasa, Nemrut Limani Bay, and Samsun.

Air freight uses a network of 116 airports, with scheduled services at 51 airports including major international gateways such as Istanbul-area airports, Antalya, Ankara (Esenboğa), Izmir (Adnan Menderes), and Dalaman. Rail freight benefits from about 11,500 km of track and international rail corridors to neighbors, while road freight connects to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Iran, Iraq, and Syria. Shippers can route cargo by sea to regional hubs like Port Said, Piraeus, and Marsaxlokk, and by land to cities such as Bucharest, Sofia, Athens, Vienna, and Budapest via defined rail and road corridors.

Freight forwarders in Türkiye should understand high-volume trade with partners such as Germany, China, Russia, the USA, Switzerland, the UK, the UAE and Iraq. The main export goods are garments, cars, gold, refined petroleum and vehicle parts, while imports include gold, refined petroleum, cars, plastics and natural gas. Forwarders familiar with these flows and with ports like Istanbul, Izmir, Mersin, Haydarpasa, Nemrut Limani Bay and Samsun can plan routing more effectively.

Türkiye’s overall Logistics Performance Index score is 3.4, above the world median of 2.7, but the customs score is 3 compared with a median of 2.6, so you should still ask about clearance experience and typical lead times. Large shipping lines with offices in cities such as Istanbul, Izmir, Mersin, Bursa and Ankara include MSC, Maersk, CMA CGM, COSCO, Evergreen, Hapag-Lloyd, OOCL, HMM, ONE, ZIM, Arkas and Sinokor. When choosing freight forwarders in Türkiye, check that they have strong relationships with these carriers and recent experience on your main trade lanes with the EU and OECD markets.

FCL and LCL shipping from and to Türkiye is supported by container throughput of about 13.5 million TEU in 2024 and 54 ports overall. Key container ports include Istanbul, Izmir, Mersin, Haydarpasa, Nemrut Limani Bay, and Samsun, with Izmir, Istanbul, and Samsun classed as large ports. Cargo pier depths at these larger ports range from about 4.9 to 7.9 meters.

Liner connectivity is relatively high, with an LSCI score of 61.5 in 2021 and a world rank of 22 of 169. Global shipping lines with offices in Türkiye include MSC, Arkas, COSCO, Evergreen, Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk, CMA CGM, HMM, ONE, ZIM, OOCL, and Sinokor, typically located in Istanbul, Izmir, Mersin, Bursa, and several other cities. Shippers can use these offices to arrange FCL and LCL services on main trades linked to Europe, the Middle East, and beyond.

Air freight in Türkiye moves about 8.4 billion tonne-km of cargo as of 2023. The country has 116 airports in total, with scheduled services at 51 of them. Major air cargo gateways include Adnan Menderes International Airport (ADB) in Izmir, Antalya International Airport (AYT), Balıkesir Koca Seyit Airport (EDO), Dalaman International Airport (DLM), and Esenboğa International Airport (ESB) in Ankara.

Air freight makes sense for higher-value and time-sensitive parts of Türkiye’s trade mix, such as garments, automotive components, gold, and other premium cargo that benefits from the LPI scores of 3.6 for timeliness and 3.5 for tracking. International air routes from Istanbul connect to nearby European and regional markets, with distances like Istanbul to Budapest at 1,067 km, Istanbul to Vienna at 1,284 km, and Istanbul to Cairo at 1,327 km providing short-haul options for priority shipments.

Rail and road freight in Türkiye use an inland network of about 11,497 km of rail and an extensive road system tied to eight neighboring countries. Rail freight moves about 15.9 billion tonne-km, with Türkiye ranked 23rd of 113 countries worldwide and 13th of 47 in its region for rail tonne-km. Major ports such as Izmir, Istanbul, Samsun, and Haydarpasa have rail access, allowing intermodal transfers between sea and rail.

Road freight benefits from borders with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Iran, Iraq, and Syria, supporting both regional and long-haul trucking. Typical international road distances include Istanbul to Bucharest at 690 km, Istanbul to Sofia at 728 km, and Istanbul to Athens at 972 km. Rail corridors from Istanbul reach Bucharest at 748 km, Constanta at 852 km, and Budapest at 1,353 km, giving shippers options for multimodal routings into Central and Eastern Europe.

Customs clearance in Türkiye is handled by the General Directorate of Customs Protection. Türkiye has been a member of the World Customs Organization since 1951 and is part of the World Trade Organization. It also participates in regional and economic groupings including the EU and the OECD, which influence trade arrangements and procedures for importers and exporters.

The average applied tariff is about 4.31 percent as of 2022. On the Logistics Performance Index, the customs score is 3.0 against a world median of 2.6, while overall logistics is at 3.4 versus 2.7. Time, tracking, and infrastructure scores range from 3.4 to 3.6. Median border and documentary compliance times for both exports and imports are about 3 days. For practical customs clearance in Türkiye, shippers should coordinate closely with their customs broker, provide accurate commercial invoices and packing lists, and align transport documents with declared tariff treatments and trade agreements.