Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday appeared in public for the first time in three days after a stomach infection kept him off the campaign trail before key polls.

Smiling and dressed in a red windbreaker, the 69-year-old leader walked out on the stage of an Istanbul aviation festival and began to toss out flowers to flag-waving supporters in the crowd.

He arrived together with his close ally, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and Libyan prime minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah.

Both countries have fought wars using Turkey's combat drones, which will feature prominently at the weekend aviation event.

Erdogan had been lying low since getting sick live on television on Tuesday night.

Turkey's Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has said Erdogan is suffering from gastroenteritis. The digestive problem is easily treated and usually clears up in a few days.

But it has disrupted Erdogan's attempts to seize momentum in the run-up to Turkey's most important election in generations on May 14.

Erdogan looked healthy addressing the crowd with a microphone in his hand, describing government efforts to help the victims of a massive February earthquake that claimed more than 50,000 lives.