Istanbul (IST) to Los Angeles (LAX)
Flight time
≈ 14h 28m
Bearing
333° NW
Istanbul (IST) to Los Angeles (LAX) is 6,836 miles (11,002 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies IST–LAX
Filed traffic dataIn May 2026, Turkish Airlines was the only carrier flying nonstop IST–LAX; the Boeing 777-300ER was the most common aircraft at 50% of departures; flights ran 88% full.
Departures
124
May 2026
Seats
40,238
both directions
Passengers
35,317
both directions
Load factor
87.8%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies IST–LAX?
Turkish Airlines was the only carrier to fly nonstop IST–LAX in May 2026 (124 departures).
- TK
Turkish Airlines
124 departures · 40,238 seats
Share of departures100.0%87.8%
Load
What plane flies IST–LAX?
In May 2026, the Boeing 777-300ER flew 50% of IST–LAX departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 777-300ER
62 departures · 90.4% load
50.0% - Boeing 787-9
62 departures · 84.7% load
50.0%
How has IST–LAX traffic changed?
Nonstop IST–LAX departures rose from 120 in June 2025 to 124 in May 2026.
Monthly nonstop IST–LAX traffic, trailing 12 months through May 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
June 2025
120 departures · 35,580 passengers
86.8%
Load
July 2025
145 departures · 42,295 passengers
87.3%
Load
August 2025
140 departures · 40,096 passengers
85.7%
Load
September 2025
145 departures · 40,260 passengers
83.6%
Load
October 2025
144 departures · 38,942 passengers
81.2%
Load
November 2025
116 departures · 33,659 passengers
79.0%
Load
December 2025
124 departures · 36,986 passengers
88.2%
Load
January 2026
124 departures · 34,773 passengers
82.7%
Load
February 2026
92 departures · 22,541 passengers
72.0%
Load
March 2026
0 departures · 0 passengers
—
Load
April 2026
120 departures · 34,633 passengers
89.2%
Load
May 2026
124 departures · 35,317 passengers
87.8%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
IST → LAX
84.3% full
62 departures · 16,957 passengers
LAX → IST
91.3% full
62 departures · 18,360 passengers
Nonstop IST–LAX traffic has been filed since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through May 2026; filings from 2025. Public domain (US Government work).
The airports
Istanbul
TR
İstanbul Airport
Coordinates
41.27°N, 28.73°E
Hemisphere
N · E
Frequently asked
How far is Istanbul (IST) from Los Angeles (LAX)?
IST to LAX is 6,836 miles (11,002 km / 5,940 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from IST to LAX?
A nonstop covers the 6,836-mile great-circle distance in roughly 14h 28m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies IST–LAX?
In May 2026, the Boeing 777-300ER flew the largest share of departures (50.0%), followed by the Boeing 787-9 (50.0%).
What mileage do I earn flying IST–LAX?
Distance-based programs credit off the 6,836-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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