Flights Madrid → Istanbul
MAD → IST
How long is the flight from Madrid to Istanbul?
The flight from Madrid (MAD) to Istanbul (IST) takes about 3h 48m. This is an estimate based on the distance between the two airports: the real time depends on the aircraft, wind and any stops.
Route overview
This flight route connects Madrid to Istanbul, operating with a mix of aircraft including the Airbus A330-200 and various Boeing 737 models as well as the Airbus A321. The journey departs from Madrid's historic airport, which opened in 1931, heading towards Istanbul's more recently established airport that began operations in 2018, serving over 84 million passengers annually.
The Madrid (MAD) → Istanbul (IST) route is operated by Turkish Airlines. Across 12 flights monitored in recent months, 100% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 3 minutes. The cancellation rate is 0.00%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 6.3/100 (low), updated in real time from weather, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel and flight history. At Istanbul the average ATFM delay is 3.5 minutes (main cause: atfm). Departing from Madrid the average ATFM delay is 1.5 minutes.
Heading to Istanbul: what to expect in this direction
Flying from Madrid (MAD) to Istanbul (IST) heads east for about 2,701 km, a flight time of roughly 3h 48m.
Departures from Madrid on this leg cluster in the morning window: about 100% of MAD-IST flights take off then.
Air-traffic congestion: departing Madrid the average ATFM delay is 1.5 min (atfm); arriving into Istanbul it is 3.5 min (atfm).
Across 12 tracked MAD-IST flights, 100% left on time with an average delay of 3 min and a 0.0% cancellation rate.
Route facts
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Airlines operating MAD-IST
Frequently asked questions about MAD-IST
The flight from Madrid (MAD) to Istanbul (IST) takes about 3h 48m. This is an estimate based on the distance between the two airports: the real time depends on the aircraft, wind and any stops.
On the Madrid (MAD) -> Istanbul (IST) route, on-time performance is 100% with an average delay of 3 minutes, based on 12 tracked flights.
The cancellation rate on Madrid-Istanbul is 0.00% across 12 monitored flights.
The route is operated by 1 airline: Turkish Airlines.
Enter your flight number on FlightGuard for a real-time analysis based on 9 factors: weather at Istanbul, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel, airline punctuality and recent trends.
The Madrid-Istanbul route is about 2,701 km: for a cancellation (with less than 14 days' notice), a delay over 3 hours, or denied boarding, EU261 compensation is €400, barring extraordinary circumstances.
