Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from Ashkhabad to Istanbul. The right side catches the Caspian Sea crossing over western Turkmenistan, the Caucasus foothills over Azerbaijan and Georgia in the mid-flight, and the spectacular Istanbul and Sea of Marmara approach at the end. The left side wins at takeoff but the right side delivers more sustained scenery across the full route.

During takeoff from Ashgabat (ASB), sit on the Left side for the best views. Ashgabat sits right at the foot of the Kopet Dag mountains, which form the Iran-Turkmenistan border. Departing westward on runway 26, the left side faces south toward the Kopet Dag ridgeline, which rises sharply from the city's southern edge and is unmissable during climb-out. Notable sights include: Kopet Dag mountain range (Iran-Turkmenistan border ridge), Ashgabat's white marble city center, Karakum Desert flatlands stretching north, Turkmen-Iranian border terrain.

When landing at Ataturk (IST), sit on the Right side for the best views. Istanbul Ataturk airport sits on the European side of the city. Flights from the east typically approach from the northeast or east, and the right side of the aircraft faces south over the Sea of Marmara, giving clear views of the Bosphorus strait, the historic peninsula with Hagia Sophia and Topkapi, and the Asian side of Istanbul across the water. Notable sights include: Sea of Marmara, Bosphorus strait, Istanbul historic peninsula (Sultanahmet district with Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque silhouettes), Prince's Islands in the Marmara.

The flight from Ashgabat (ASB) to Ataturk (IST) takes Approximately 4 hours 30 minutes.

The route crosses the western Karakum Desert, then the Caspian Sea (right side gets the better view of the open water), followed by the South Caucasus terrain of Azerbaijan and Georgia including the Lesser Caucasus foothills, then over northeastern Turkey and the Anatolian plateau before descending toward the Bosphorus and Istanbul