Britons still willing to go on holiday in Turkey amid the Middle East war can buy flights for just £15 or package holidays for only £200 over the coming weeks.
Some tourists have been put off travelling to the country since the US-Israel attacks on Iran began on February 28 amid concerns the conflict could spread.
These fears were exacerbated after Turkey confirmed on Monday that a ‘ballistic munition’ launched towards it from Iran was intercepted by Nato air defences.
But the UK’s Foreign Office guidance remains that most of Turkey is considered safe for travel, apart from the border with Syria along the east of the country.
Flights from London next month can be bought for only £15 to Bodrum, £28 to Dalaman, £30 to Antalya, £33 to Istanbul, £41 to Izmir and £52 to Ankara.
Package holidays are also very cheap, with seven nights for two self-catering in Marmaris with flights from April 22 costing only £212 each via easyJet Holidays.
The operator is also offering two people seven nights with breakfast at a hotel in Dalaman with flights from London for the same date for £214 per person.
The cheapest single flight from London to Turkey in March or April is a Ryanair service from Stansted to Bodrum on April 15 for £15, according to Google Flights.
Seven nights for two people self-catering at Grand Villa Sol Apart in Marmaris with return flights from London leaving on April 22 costs only £212 per person via easyJet Holidays
The cheapest single flight from London to Turkey next month is for £15 to Bodrum (file image)
A map from the UK’s Foreign Office whose guidance remains that most of Turkey is considered safe for travel – apart from the border with Syria along the east of the country, marked in red
Least expensive flights for similar trips to Bodrum usually cost between £40 and £185, based on the website observing fares over the past year in the same season.
The next cheapest is Antalya, with WizzAir offering a £30 single from Gatwick on April 22, compared to the least expensive flights normally between £40 and £140.
Britons could also head to Istanbul with WizzAir from Luton for £33 on April 20, compared to the cheapest flights for similar trips usually between £35 and £130.
How you can grab a bargain flight to Turkey
Here are the cheapest single flights to Turkish airports from London in March and April, according to Google Flights:
Bodrum – lowest is £15 on April 15; normally £40–£185Dalaman – lowest is £28 on April 15; normally £35–£140Antalya – lowest is £30 on April 29; normally £40–£140Istanbul – lowest is £33 on April 22; normally £35-£130Izmir – lowest is £41 on April 18; normally £50–£165Ankara – lowest is £52 on April 17; normally £60–£220
Izmir can be reached for £41 with easyJet from Luton on April 18, below the normal cheapest rate of £50 to £165; while you can get a flight to Ankara from Stansted for £52 on April 17 with AJet, compared to the normal £60 to £220.
But with concerns over a rise in jet fuel prices, Skyscanner’s travel expert Laura Lindsay warned flight costs could soon go up as airlines face increased costs.
She told the Daily Mail today: ‘As we’ve seen before in the aftermath of previous conflicts and following the pandemic, we would expect providers to continue to offer good value and flexibility in order to remain competitive, which ultimately means more consumer choice.
‘While we may see some carriers increase fares to offset increased costs, most airlines will do everything they can to price attractively to stay ahead of the competition.’
Her comments follow MPs being warned yesterday that holiday air fares are set to leap because of the Middle East crisis, amid fears about the impact on inflation.
Energy market expert Amrita Sen said the market for jet fuel had gone ‘crazy’, with a surge in prices likely to feed through into higher fares immediately.
Qantas, Air New Zealand and Scandinavia’s SAS were among a string of airlines to announce ticket price rises yesterday.
Dr Sen told the Treasury committee that other airlines are likely to follow suit, saying that while attention has focused on the price of crude oil, the impact on jet fuel has been much more severe, with prices doubling or even trebling.
Also this week, Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary revealed the airline had noticed ‘a big collapse in bookings to the Middle East and a big surge in bookings on short haul airlines within Europe’.
Meanwhile in a Reddit thread about concerns over travelling to Turkey amid the war, one person wrote: ‘I have a trip in May and right now I’m thinking I’m going to cancel. Especially since Nato just shot down a missile headed to Turkish air space.’
Liverpool were in Turkey yesterday for their Champions League match against Galatasaray
Turkish army personnel search a field after a piece of ammunition fell following the interception of a missile launched from Iran by a Nato air defence system in Diyarbakir on Monday
Another has been ‘strongly considering cancelling’, while a third wrote: ‘I’m cancelling my trip to Turkey for next month. I just don’t feel it’s worth the risk.’
But a fourth who recently flew back from Antalya posted: ‘The airport was so calm I didn’t even know it had happened until I got home and my wife informed me. I was just there to help escort her mother who was visiting us in the UK.’
The latest UK guidance for Turkey states: ‘FCDO advises against all travel to within 10km of the border with Syria due to fighting and a heightened risk of terrorism.’
But most Brits visit areas in the western side of Turkey, such as Bodrum, Istanbul and Izmir, which are hundreds of miles away from the at-risk areas.
Liverpool fans were in the country yesterday for their Champions League last-16 match against Galatasaray. Club officials were said to have been monitoring the situation in Turkey in the days leading up to the match, which they lost 1-0.
This came after the England women’s team travelled to Turkey on Tuesday last week as they faced Ukraine in Antalya in an away World Cup qualifier, played at a neutral venue due to the conflict in the country of the designated home team.
Concerns had been raised due to the close proximity of Turkey to the war in the Middle East, and England boss Sarina Wiegman said officials were in constant dialogue with the UK Government over the safety of the squad. England won 6-1.
On Monday, Nato said it shot down a second ballistic missile fired from Iran in Turkish airspace, prompting a warning from Turkey to Tehran not to take ‘provocative steps’.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (pictured in Ankara today) said after the latest missile incident that the country would ‘take the necessary measures to defend our nation’
It was the second such incident in the skies over Nato member Turkey in five days, leading the alliance to stress its readiness ‘to defend all allies against any threat’.
Washington meanwhile urged all American citizens to leave south-eastern Turkey, where US troops are stationed at several bases. Since the US-Israeli attacks began, Iran has retaliated with strikes across the Middle East in a bid to hit US assets.
But Turkey appears to have been mostly spared, despite the presence of American troops, including at Incirlik airbase just outside the southern city of Adana.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after the latest missile incident that the country would ‘take the necessary measures to defend our nation’.
‘Despite our sincere warnings, extremely wrong and provocative steps continue to be taken that will jeopardise Turkey’s friendship,’ he said after a cabinet meeting. ‘Persistence and stubbornness in wrongdoing should be avoided.’
Turkey also summoned the Iranian ambassador, having done the same on March 4 after Nato forces also intercepted a Turkey-bound ballistic missile from Iran.
Package holiday firm On The Beach revealed last May that Turkey was the top destination for holidays for Brits in summer 2025, according to booking numbers.
Turkey toppled the Canaries and Spain in 2024 to take the crown for the first time in 75 years; and bookings in 2025 were up 54 per cent compared to 2023.
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