Where to Meet Your Driver at Ankara Esenboğa Airport (ESB)

Ankara Esenboğa Airport (ESB) has one terminal building but two arrivals exits, one for domestic and one for international flights. If you fly in from abroad via Istanbul, the exit you use isn't the obvious one. This guide follows you from the aircraft to the car: which exit you'll come out of, how to get online so the WhatsApp message reaches you, what happens if your flight is late or changes, and what to do if you can't see your driver.

Step by step: from landing to the car

1. Switch your phone on: once the aircraft has landed, turn off flight mode and switch on mobile data, or connect to the free airport Wi-Fi (see below). Your driver's WhatsApp message with the meeting point and video comes after landing, so keep an eye on it.
2. Passport control (international flights only): on a direct flight from abroad you pass passport control first. Domestic passengers, and passengers who already entered Turkey at another airport such as Istanbul, skip this step. Entry rules depend on your nationality, so check yours before you travel; the official e-Visa site is evisa.gov.tr.
3. Baggage claim: the information screens show which belt your bags are on, and baggage trolleys are available. If a bag is missing or damaged, report it to your airline's ground handling company in the baggage claim area before you walk out, and send your driver a quick WhatsApp so they know you're held up.
4. Customs: walk through customs; with nothing to declare, take the green channel.
5. Arrivals exit: walk out of the arrivals exit of your section. Don't head for the coach stops or the taxi zone: your driver meets you just outside the exit, at the meeting point shown in their WhatsApp message and video.
6. To the car: your driver helps with your luggage and walks with you to the vehicle.

Domestic or international: which exit will you use?

Esenboğa's terminal has a domestic section (İç Hatlar) and an international section (Dış Hatlar). Arrivals are on the ground floor, and each section has its own arrivals exit. You don't need to work out which one is yours: your driver knows your flight and waits outside the right exit, and the WhatsApp message after landing shows you the way. It still helps to know what to expect:

Column numbers are the airport's own markers for the coach stops. Taxis wait in designated zones outside both exits, around the clock; the airport publishes no column numbers for them. Domestic passengers skip passport control, so they usually reach the exit sooner.

Flying in from abroad via Istanbul?

If you connect in Istanbul (or another Turkish airport) to a domestic flight with your bags checked through to Ankara, you pass passport control there. In Ankara you land on the domestic side, but the airport sends you to international arrivals for baggage claim and customs, so you come out of the international exit. If your bags weren't checked through, you collect them and clear customs at your first airport, check in again and arrive in Ankara like any domestic passenger. Check with your airline which applies to you. When you book, give us the number of the flight that lands in Ankara, not your first flight; your driver's WhatsApp message after landing tells you where to go.

Sources — checked on 15 October 2026: Esenboğa Airport transit guide · Esenboğa arrival guide · AnkaraAir at Esenboğa · Havaş at Esenboğa · Esenboğa taxi services · Esenboğa Wi-Fi · Esenboğa accessibility · Turkcell tourist SIM · MCKS (phone registration) · Ministry of Foreign Affairs: visa information
Euro amounts at €1 = ₺55.6.

Getting online so WhatsApp works

The meeting point and the video come by WhatsApp, so the one thing to sort out is data. Make sure the phone number you gave when booking has WhatsApp, then pick one of these:

• Roaming: the simplest option if your plan covers Turkey. Turkey isn't part of the EU's roam-like-at-home area, so check your operator's rates for Turkey or add a travel pass before you fly.
• eSIM: a travel eSIM installed before you fly connects once you land; check that it covers Turkey before you buy it. Turkcell's tourist package can also be set up as an eSIM in the Turkcell app, if your phone supports eSIM and NFC and you have a biometric passport.
• Free airport Wi-Fi: connect to "Airport_Free_Wifi". Without a Turkish number, scan your passport at a Wi-Fi kiosk to get a password. The airport has kiosks in both the domestic and the international section, airside as well as landside, so you can usually get online in the baggage claim area, before you reach the exit.
• Turkish SIM: the airport map shows Turkcell, Vodafone and Türk Telekom outlets on the international arrivals floor. Opening hours aren't published, and you'll need your passport. A phone brought from abroad can be used with a Turkish SIM for 120 days without registration.

Battery low after a long flight? The airport map shows phone-charging points on the international arrivals floor. If you can't get online at all, see "If you can't find your driver" below.

Delays, early landings and late flights

We track your flight in real time, using Flightradar24, Google's flight status and the airport's official flight information. If your flight lands early or late, the pickup adjusts to the actual landing time, so a delay on the flight you booked needs no message from you.

Your driver also knows that passport control and baggage claim can take a while, so there's no need to rush. If you're held up for longer, for example by a missing bag, let us know using the number in your confirmation or reply to your driver's WhatsApp message.

Late-night landings work the same way: your driver tracks the flight and waits just outside the arrivals exit, whatever the hour. To compare what else runs after midnight, see arriving in Ankara at night.

If your flight changes: what to send us

Flight tracking follows the flight number you booked with. If you're moved to another flight, miss a connection or change your travel date, tell us as soon as you know, on WhatsApp or by phone on +90 544 102 1414 (24/7). Send us:

• your booking reference and the lead passenger's name
• the new flight number, date and scheduled landing time in Ankara
• where the flight comes from, and whether you now connect via Istanbul or another Turkish airport, so we know which exit you'll use
• any change in the number of passengers, suitcases or child seats
• a WhatsApp number that will work on arrival, if it's different from the one in your booking

Plans cancelled instead? Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before your pickup time.

Luggage, child seats and special requests

• Luggage: a Mercedes Vito takes up to 6 passengers and 7 suitcases, and a Mercedes Sprinter up to 15 passengers and 20 suitcases. Your driver helps you load your bags.
• Bulky items: mention a pushchair, folding wheelchair, golf bag, bicycle or large instrument when you book, so the right vehicle comes.
• Child seats: available on request: a child safety seat for children up to 3 and a booster seat for older children. Ask for them when you book, so they're ready at pickup.
• Reduced mobility: passengers who declare a disability can use the airport's fast track at passport control in international arrivals, and the airport's red help phones connect you to the information desk for a wheelchair. Tell us about any mobility needs when you book, so your driver can plan the walk to the vehicle.

Travelling as a group

Up to 6 people fit in one Mercedes Vito; larger groups can book a Sprinter for up to 15, and the price is per vehicle, not per person. If you're unsure, tell us how many passengers and suitcases you have and we'll recommend the right vehicle.

• One contact: give one WhatsApp number for the group and keep that phone switched on after landing.
• Wait together: people clear passport control and collect their bags at different speeds. The first ones out can meet the driver at the meeting point from the video and wait there for the others.
• Different flights: if your group lands on more than one flight, give us every flight number when you book, so we can plan the pickup.

If you can't find your driver

1. Stay just outside the exit you came out of. Don't walk off to the car park or the taxi zone.
2. Call or WhatsApp your driver on the number they messaged you from.
3. Call our 24/7 line on +90 544 102 1414 (phone or WhatsApp) and we'll connect you straight away.
4. Say where you are: the domestic or the international exit, and the nearest column number you can see (20–23 outside international arrivals, 1–5 outside domestic arrivals).
5. No data? Get on "Airport_Free_Wifi" by scanning your passport at a Wi-Fi kiosk, or ask at the arrivals information desk for help.

Please don't leave with anyone who approaches you offering a ride: go only with the driver who contacted you on WhatsApp.

Prices: is a private transfer worth it?

A private transfer from Esenboğa costs from €33 per vehicle to Ulus, from €36 to Kızılay and from €36 to Çankaya (Mercedes Vito, up to 6 passengers); the exact price for your date and pickup time is shown before you pay. Further out, Bilkent is from €45 and Çayyolu from €47.

Travelling alone with light luggage? The AnkaraAir coach is much cheaper at ≈€4.50 (₺250) per person and runs round the clock to Kızılay and AŞTİ. A taxi to Kızılay is also cheaper, at about €21–25 (₺1,150–1,400) on the meter, if your party and luggage fit in one car. A transfer pays off most for families, groups, heavy luggage, late arrivals and business trips with a meeting to reach. Compare every option in Ankara Airport to the city centre.

Related guides: Ankara Esenboğa Airport (ESB) · Ankara Airport arrival guide · Arriving in Ankara at night · Ankara Airport to the city centre · Ankara Airport bus · Ankara Airport taxi prices · Getting to Ankara Airport

Frequently asked questions