Is Istanbul Airport open? Are departures operating as normal, are flights cancelled - as airport 'shakes' amid powerful earthquake hitting city

The 6.2-magnitude quake today (Wednesday 23 April) hit 73km (45 miles) from the city, also rocking Bulgaria, Greece, and Romania. It was at a depth of 10km (6.21 miles), according to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ).

It was preceded by a 3.9 magnitude earthquake at 12.13pm, according to Turkey's disaster and emergency management agency (AFAD), and followed by several aftershocks, including one measuring 5.3. Residents were urged to stay away from buildings and reports said the earthquake was felt in neighbouring regions.

On X, formerly Twitter, users reported that the airport was “shaking”. One said: “The whole Istanbul airport was shaking”. Another said: “I am at Istanbul airport at the moment, no one seems hurt”. Another added: “Pretty good shake at the Istanbul airport — with a few aftershocks sending people scurrying.”

Currently flights to and from the airport are not affected, and there are no cancelled flights due to the earthquake. The airport appears to be operating as normal. If you have a flight book to Istanbul it its best to enquire with your airline regarding the status of your flight.

The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality said there were "no serious cases" after the earthquake in a statement on social media. Kemal Cebi, the mayor of Kucukcekmece district in western Istanbul, told local broadcaster NTV that there were "no negative developments yet", but he said that there were traffic jams and that many buildings were already at risk due to the density of the area.

Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, reported several earthquakes in Istanbul.

• The first is of 3.9 magnitude and hit the coast of the Silivri district at 12:13 local time (10:13 BST)
• The second is of 6.2 magnitude and hit the same area at 12:49 (10:49 BST)
• The third quake of 4.4 magnitude in Istanbul's Buyukcekmece district hit at 12:51 local time (10:51 BST)