Umrah Flights from Turkey: Which Airports Have Departures to Madinah and Jeddah?

When it comes to Umrah flights, most people think only of Istanbul; yet Umrah groups today depart from all over Turkey. RotaNur’s 2026-2027 season calendar has Umrah groups departing from 34 different airports. In this article, based on the season data and official sources, we explain which airports have departures in which months, how landing in Madinah or Jeddah affects the programme and ihram, the flight distances and the practical preparations for the day of the flight. As dates and prices can change, the definitive information is always in the tables on the tour pages. You can compare the best prices by departure city in a single table on our Umrah prices 2026-2027 page.

Which Airports in Turkey Have Umrah Departures?

The table below shows the departure airports in RotaNur’s season calendar dated 20 October 2026 and how many group dates there are from each. The season runs from 21 October 2026 to 23 March 2027.

The airports shown as “other” in the table are Erzurum, Malatya, Dalaman, Van, Sivas, Kastamonu, Tekirdağ, Amasya-Merzifon, Ordu-Giresun, Çanakkale, Isparta, Ağrı, Elazığ, Adıyaman, Balıkesir Koca Seyit and Şanlıurfa GAP airports; one or two groups depart from each of them during the season. In addition, a journey with a connection via Istanbul has been planned on one date. You can see up to date which cities have departures on which dates on our Umrah departure cities page.

Why do departures from Anatolia matter?

Joining a group that departs from your own city removes the return journey to Istanbul, a night’s hotel stay and the tiredness of changing cities with your luggage. This difference is especially great for elderly guests and those travelling abroad for the first time; on the way back, too, you are in your own city as soon as you get off the plane, and your relatives can meet you at the airport. Having most of the group from the same city also means being with familiar faces throughout the journey. According to the season data, in most packages the departure city does not change the price either; we have given this analysis in detail in our article on the Umrah price index.

How Many Groups Depart in Which Month?

Departures are not spread evenly over the season. The distribution of the 560 group dates in the season calendar by month is as follows: 3 in October 2026, 40 in November, 79 in December, 204 in January 2027, 35 in February and 199 in March. January and March are the months with both the most groups and the most departure cities; almost all of the Anatolian airports with only one or two groups in the season also fall in these two months and December. About half of the dates in February, meanwhile, are concentrated at the start of Ramadan, that is, 6-8 February.

This distribution gives an important clue for those who want to depart from their own city: if you are looking for a departure from a small airport in Anatolia, you should look at the January and March dates. In November and December, the options are concentrated at Istanbul’s two airports and in a few large cities. If your dates are not flexible, another way is to join a group departing from Istanbul and plan the domestic connection yourself; in that case, however, you should leave enough time in between in case your domestic flight is delayed.

Does the Plane Land in Madinah or Jeddah?

Umrah programmes are set up in two ways. In a programme starting in Madinah, the plane lands in Madinah; guests first stay in Madinah and visit the Prophet’s Mosque, then travel to Makkah by road, and the return flight is usually from Jeddah. In a programme starting in Makkah, the plane usually lands in Jeddah, Umrah is performed on the first day, the programme ends in Madinah and the return is from Madinah. The arrival side is covered in our guide to Jeddah and Madinah airports.

The Taif and Yanbu routes have been planned only on some dates departing from Istanbul Airport. Which programme suits you is partly a matter of preference: starting in Madinah lets you shake off the tiredness of the journey before Umrah and prepare calmly for ihram in Madinah; starting in Makkah gives you the chance to perform Umrah on the first day of the journey. We have described the journey between the two cities in our article on the distance between Makkah and Madinah.

How do you get from the airport to the hotel?

On a package Umrah, the transfer from the arrival airport to the hotel is made by the group coach. After passport and visa control, the luggage is collected, and the guide gathers the group and directs it to the coach. In busy periods, especially in January and at the start of Ramadan, passport control and baggage delivery can take a long time; for this reason, it is best not to plan an ambitious programme for the first day and, on programmes starting in Makkah, to begin Umrah well rested.

Is Ihram Entered on the Plane?

The answer depends on where the plane lands. According to the statement of Diyanet’s High Board of Religious Affairs, those coming from outside the miqat (afaqi pilgrims) cannot enter ihram in Jeddah; those coming from the north and west must enter ihram before passing level with al-Juhfah. For this reason, an Umrah traveller flying from Turkey to Jeddah enters ihram on the plane, before coming level with the miqat. In practice, the ihram garments are put on at the airport or before boarding, and the intention and talbiyah are made on the plane, at the miqat announcement of the cabin crew or the religious officer.

A traveller landing in Madinah, on the other hand, does not enter ihram on the plane. After staying in Madinah, they enter ihram on the way to Makkah at Dhul-Hulayfah (Abyar Ali), the miqat of Madinah. We have explained how the intention for ihram is made in our article on the intention for ihram.

Note: If a person who has passed the miqat without ihram does not go back to the miqat and enter ihram, a penalty (dam) is required. It is important for travellers flying to Jeddah to put their ihram garments in their hand luggage so that they can put them on during the flight if needed.

How Long Is an Umrah Flight?

The flight time varies by airline, aircraft type and wind; the exact time is written on your ticket and in your group programme. To give an idea, we have calculated the straight-line distance from the main departure airports to the Madinah and Jeddah airports:

The distances are straight-line distances calculated from the coordinates of the airports; the actual flight route is somewhat longer depending on the use of airspace. As you can see, departures from cities in the south are markedly closer to Madinah than Istanbul. As Madinah is about 300 kilometres closer than Jeddah when seen from Turkey, flights on programmes starting in Madinah are also shorter.

Preparing for the Day of the Flight

An Umrah flight is different from an ordinary holiday flight; you travel as a group, and preparing for ihram and worship is part of the journey. Before the flight, check the following:

1. Passport: There is a passport validity requirement for entry into Saudi Arabia. The details are in our article on the passport for Umrah.
2. Visa and Umrah permit: For those travelling with a tour, the visa and the Umrah permit through Nusuk are obtained by the tour company.
3. Health: For pre-travel vaccination and health advice, see the travel health page of the Ministry of Health.
4. Baggage: The baggage allowance varies by airline and ticket; keep to the weight and piece limits written on your ticket. The rules for carrying Zamzam are also set by the airline.
5. Hand luggage: Carry your medicines, a photocopy of your passport and, if you are flying to Jeddah, your ihram garments in your hand luggage.
6. Arrive early: The group meeting time is usually a few hours before the flight; the group baggage drop and the guide’s briefing take place during this time.

We have listed item by item what should be in your suitcase in our Umrah packing list article.

Umrah Flights in Ramadan and Fasting

A traveller setting out in Ramadan has the concession of not fasting, as they will travel a distance of at least ninety kilometres; they need not make the intention the night before. A person who sets out while fasting makes suhur and iftar according to where they are at that moment: on the plane, they break the fast according to the information given by the cabin crew if available, and otherwise according to the time of the place over which the plane is flying. For the 33-day Full Ramadan programme of the 2027 season published on the site, departures are planned on 6 and 7 February 2027 from Istanbul, Sabiha Gökçen, Ankara, Antalya and Konya; the details are on the Ramadan Umrah page.

Individual Ticket or Package?

It is possible to buy the plane ticket yourself and plan Umrah independently, but in that case the hotel, transport between Makkah and Madinah, the airport transfer, the visa and the Nusuk permit are arranged separately; if the flight is delayed or cancelled, you also make the new plan yourself. We have looked at the pros and cons of this option in our article on independent Umrah. On a package Umrah, on the other hand, the flight, transfers and hotel are planned together, and a religious officer travels with the group. Current group dates are on the Umrah tours page; for your questions, you can reach us from our contact page.

Frequently Asked Questions

References

The departure airports, numbers of dates and routes were compiled by the RotaNur editorial team from the season calendar dated 20.10.2026 of RotaNur’s Umrah programmes published on the site (14 packages, 560 group dates). The distances are straight-line distances calculated from airport coordinates and rounded to 50 kilometres. Religious rulings follow the fatwas of Diyanet’s High Board of Religious Affairs. Last checked: 20.10.2026.

1. RotaNur, Umrah tours 2026-2027 season calendar (departure airports, dates and routes). rotanur.com. Data date: 20.10.2026.
2. Presidency of Religious Affairs of Türkiye (Diyanet), High Board of Religious Affairs, “Âfâkîler Cidde’de ihrama girebilir mi?” (Can afaqi pilgrims enter ihram in Jeddah?), Fatwas. kurul.diyanet.gov.tr. Accessed: 20.10.2026.
3. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, “Türk Vatandaşlarının Tabi Olduğu Vize Uygulamaları: Suudi Arabistan” (Visa requirements for Turkish citizens: Saudi Arabia). mfa.gov.tr. Accessed: 20.10.2026.
4. Ministry of Hajj and Umrah of Saudi Arabia, Official website and the Nusuk Umrah platform. haj.gov.sa. Accessed: 20.10.2026.
5. Ministry of Health of the Republic of Türkiye, “Suudi Arabistan Sağlık Bilgisi” (Saudi Arabia health information), Travel Health. seyahatsagligi.gov.tr. Accessed: 20.10.2026.
6. Presidency of Religious Affairs of Türkiye (Diyanet), High Board of Religious Affairs, “Uçakla seyahat eden oruçlu kişi iftarını nereye göre yapar?” (By which place does a fasting person travelling by plane break their fast?), Fatwas. kurul.diyanet.gov.tr. Accessed: 20.10.2026.