Suicide bombers who killed 42 people at Istanbul's airport incited panic to take lethal advantage, it has emerged.

Authorities said that the bombers detonated bombs in different areas of the airport sending terrified travellers running from one explosion to another.

One attacker detonated explosives downstairs at the arrivals terminal, another went upstairs and blew himself up in the departure hall and the third waited outside for crowds fleeing the airport to cause the final blast, officials said.

The attack on Tuesday at Ataturk Airport echoed the carnage at Brussels' airport in March.

Late on Wednesday, Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the authorities were increasingly convinced that Islamic State, also known as Daesh, was responsible for the attack although there was no claim of responsibility.

"Our thought that it is Daesh, continues to gain weight," he said.

IS rarely claims responsibility for attacks in Turkey which experts have suggested could be a reluctance to be seen as killing fellow Muslims.

Analyst Anthony Skinner said that another reason could be its desire to exploit the violent rift between Turkish and Kurdish rebels.

"It very clearly meets Islamic State's strategic objectives to leave this ambiguity," he said.

Yildirim also suggested the attack could be linked to steps Ankara took on Monday towards mending strained ties with Israel and Russia.

None of the attackers were Turkish, another source said.