The suicide bombers detonated explosive vests in the arrivals hall of Turkey’s largest airport, and the third busiest in Europe.
The three attackers tried to pass through X-ray machines when they were stopped by Turkish security officials, and then began shooting with AK-47 rifles.
Officers returned fire, and one tried to wrestle one of the shooters to the ground, before all three coordinated the bombing.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has said the early signs suggest the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) militants were behind the attack, according to reports.
He revealed that at least 36 people had died from the attack and many have been wounded, some seriously injured.
Taxis were used to rush casualties to hospital and many desperate relatives of those missing gathered outside the local hospital trying to find any information about their loved ones.
Around 2.5 million Britons travel to Turkey each year, although the number of tourists has declined in recent months due to the latest spate of Isil attacks.
Flights in and out of the airport were suspended after the attacks, however flights have now resumed but many still have been cancelled or delays.
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel expressed his solidarity following the attack.
He tweeted: “Our thoughts are with the victims of the attacks at Istanbul's airport. We condemn these atrocious acts of violence #Istanbul”
Our thoughts are with everyone affected by these attacks.
We will bring more updates as it happens.