Protests have rocked Istanbul as people take to the streets to protest the arrest of Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul, on corruption charges. Many expect him to be the Republican People’s Party’s 2028 presidential candidate, running against current Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Over 100 politicians, journalists, and businesspeople were detained on Wednesday after an investigation which has triggered five consecutive nights of demonstrations. These protests are the largest in the country in more than ten years.
Tens of thousands gather for the 4th night in Istanbul to protest the detention of Erdogan’s main rival Ekrem Imamoglu, calling the arrest political and against the rule of law. He is in court today, and a verdict is expected later. Tense night in Turkey pic.twitter.com/NCdE3J1roT
— Selin Girit (@selingirit) March 22, 2025
The protests are having an effect on travel to, from, and around the Istanbul area. According to reports, travel is being restricted on certain routes into and out of the city in an effort to curb the protests. Public transportation including railways, buses, and roadways are also being disrupted.
Protests are occurring near major tourist areas, including Taksim Square, with some turning violent in recent days. This will likely have a major impact on tourism should the protests continue into the coming days and week.
Mrs. ATX and I are watching the protests closely as we are scheduled to land in Istanbul four days from now. At this point we haven’t heard of any changes or warnings related to our travel plans from Turkish Airlines, Air France, or Marriott.
Tentatively we are still planning to visit the city. However, if things get worse, we plan to connect via Istanbul to another European destination before making our way back to the states. For now, all we can do is hope that things stabilize prior to our arrival.
Summary
Protests have struck Turkey’s largest city impacting travel to, from, and around Istanbul. The city’s Mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, was detained on corruption charges on March 19, 2025 and officially charged on March 23. While this situation is rapidly evolving, we’re keeping a close eye on it as we have plans to be in Istanbul later this week.
Since Turkish Airlines is owned by the very same corrupt government that runs Turkey, I doubt they would ever give any “warning” to passengers much less even mention it.