At Samsun-Carsamba Airport you can take the Samair bus, a taxi, rent a car, or pre-book a transfer. The state airport operator lists Samair and an airport shuttle service, commercial taxis, rental cars and private cars. This page compares the taxi and the transfer.
The airport taxi
The airport is about 25 km from the city centre, according to the operator, and our route estimates are about 19 km and 28 minutes to Ilkadim and about 25 km and 38 minutes to Atakum. We found no official fare table, so there is no published price to quote. Before you set off, ask whether the fare is metered or fixed, and what the total will be for your address. Have the address ready in writing, in Turkish if you can.
Fixed-price private transfer
SZF Samsun City Center
From€133for 2 passengers
Other destinations
A taxi suits you when no Samair run matches your flight, you want to go straight to your door, and you are comfortable agreeing the fare yourself.
The pre-booked transfer
The price is shown live on this page for your route and confirmed at booking, so you know the amount before you fly. You can ask for a child seat or a larger vehicle when you book, and the booking confirmation tells you where to meet. If meet-and-greet is included in your booking, the confirmation says where the driver meets you.
A transfer suits you when your destination is away from the Samair lines, for example Canik or Tekkekoy, when the run is long, such as Bafra (about 64 km, roughly 96 minutes in our route estimates), when you arrive late, when you travel with children or heavy luggage, or when you want the arrangements settled in advance.
Samair as a third option
Samair is the municipal airport bus, with four lines to Atakum, the bus station area, Bafra and Terme. Departure times follow flight times and are published on samair.samsun.bel.tr, where fares are shown stop by stop. Reservations through ALO 153 are taken up to 2 hours before departure. It can suit a light traveller whose hotel is near one of the stops.
What to compare
- Certainty of price: a pre-booked transfer is fixed at booking; a taxi fare is agreed on the spot; Samair fares are published by stop.
- Certainty of pickup: a booked transfer is arranged before you fly; a taxi depends on what is waiting when you land.
- Flexibility: a taxi lets you decide on arrival; a transfer asks you to decide in advance.
- Extras: child seats and larger vehicles are requested at booking for a transfer.
A simple way to decide
Ask three questions. How far is your destination? How many people and bags are travelling? What time does your flight land? If the answers are a stop on a Samair line, light bags and a run that matches your flight, the bus will do. If any answer points the other way, a taxi or a confirmed transfer removes the guesswork.
Sources (checked 2026-10-27)
- Distance to the city centre (25 km) and ground transport listed by the state airport operator (Samair and an airport shuttle service, commercial taxis, rent a car, private cars): https://dhmi.gov.tr/Sayfalar/Havalimani/Carsamba/Ulasim.aspx
- Samair airport bus: operator (municipal company of Samsun Metropolitan Municipality), start date 1 June 2024, four lines H1-H4 and their routes, timetable by flight time, online and app information, ALO 153 reservations up to 2 hours before departure, payment by SAMKART or credit card (news item dated 30 September 2025): https://samulas.com.tr/haber-detay/samair-i-le-hizli-ve-guvenli-ulasim-hi-zmeti
- Samair line pages and timetables (stop-based fares and the next seven days of departures are published per line): https://samair.samsun.bel.tr/
- Approximate distances and driving times to the areas listed (route estimates, not measured live): AirportTransferPortal route database, checked 2026-10-27