TEKNOFEST Southeast, held for five days at Şanlıurfa GAP Airport, ended on 4 October. Selçuk Bayraktar, chairman of the TEKNOFEST board, said 1.3 million people visited the Şanlıurfa event. According to Bayraktar, TEKNOFEST 2026 as a whole drew 1.8 million visitors and TEKNOFEST Southeast 1.5 million.
The festival showcased domestic technology products, unmanned aerial vehicles and leading defence industry platforms. Over five days it hosted technology displays, air shows and competitions; the SOLOTÜRK aerobatic team flew a display, and Türkiye’s KAAN fighter jet was among the aircraft exhibited at the southeastern festival.
On the final day, visitors from Şanlıurfa and many other provinces formed long queues at the entrances. Children and young people in particular crowded the stands showing aircraft and defence technologies, and traffic in the city was disrupted.
Bayraktar thanked Şanlıurfa and everyone who attended in a social media post. TEKNOFEST is organised by the Turkish Technology Team Foundation and the Ministry of Industry and Technology and describes itself as the world’s largest aviation, space and technology festival.
The 1.3 million visitors, the five-day duration, GAP Airport and the 1.8 and 1.5 million totals announced by Bayraktar were confirmed through Sabah, Gazete Vatan, Yirmidört TV, Aksiyon, Urfa Değişim, Ensonhaber, Popüler Gazete and RayHaber.
The visitor figures come from the organiser, not an independent count. It has not been explained which events account for the difference between 1.5 million for TEKNOFEST Southeast and 1.3 million for Şanlıurfa.
Agreements signed at the festival and competition results are not covered in this story.
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