Fuel now makes up more than one-third of a typical Istanbul airport transfer fare, fresh operational data from Turkish booking platform Transfelo reveals.
Diesel surged 22%, fares rose 17%. That gap is being covered by operators, and it cannot be maintained for long.”— Alper Tekin
Over the last 30 days, airport transfer prices in Istanbul have gone up by roughly 17%, yet that hike still falls short of the spike in fuel expenses that drives it, according to pricing data released today by Transfelo, a Turkish airport transfer service.
In July 2026 alone, diesel costs in Turkey jumped by around 14 Turkish lira per litre — a single-month increase of approximately 22%. As of 25 July, a litre of diesel on Istanbul’s European side costs 78.49 TL, with prices topping 81 TL in eastern regions. This rise was fueled by Brent crude surpassing 100 US dollars per barrel for the first time since May, amid fears of supply interruptions, along with a record-high exchange rate for the dollar against the lira.
During that same timeframe, Transfelo’s base-level Istanbul airport transfer fare rose from 1,800 TL to 2,100 TL — a gain of about 17%.
“The disparity between these two numbers represents what operators are swallowing,” stated Alper Tekin, founder of Transfelo. “Fuel climbed 22%, fares only 17%. That difference is unsustainable over the long haul.”
FUEL NOW ACCOUNTS FOR OVER A THIRD OF THE TICKET PRICE
Transfelo’s operational breakdown reveals a metric seldom shared in the transfer industry: the proportion of a fare eaten up purely by fuel.
A standard Istanbul Airport to Sultanahmet transfer spans roughly 50 kilometres each way. Because the return trip is usually made without a passenger, the operator’s actual fuel cost is closer to 100 kilometres per booking. With current diesel prices and typical fuel consumption for the vehicle types used in this market, that amounts to about 780 TL in fuel on a 2,100 TL fare — nearly 37% of the total price, not counting driver wages, vehicle depreciation, insurance, tolls, parking fees, or commissions.
That percentage climbs even higher for late-night trips and longer routes to Antalya, Izmir, Bodrum, and Dalaman.
WHY TRANSPARENCY IS KEY FOR PASSENGERS
Transfelo contends that such cost volatility makes upfront fixed-price disclosure more critical than ever.
“When expenses shift this rapidly, the industry’s reflex is to quote a low price and adjust at the curb,” Tekin noted. “A traveler arriving at 3am with luggage has no leverage to negotiate. Publishing the actual price in advance is the only honest way to sell this service.”
Transfelo lists fixed fares in advance for routes serving Istanbul Airport, Sabiha Gokcen, Antalya, Izmir, Bodrum, and Dalaman, with no extra charge for late-night arrivals or flight delays.
ABOUT TRANSFELO
Transfelo is a Turkish airport transfer platform that provides fixed-price private transportation across key Turkish airports. The company relies on directly contracted vehicle fleets rather than an open marketplace model, and it publicly shares route-level pricing ahead of any booking.
Transfelo plans to release this pricing data every three months as the Turkish Airport Transfer Price Index.
Media contact information is below. Complete route-level pricing data can be obtained upon request.
Alper Tekin
Transfelo.com
hello@transfelo.com
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