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Istanbul Airport, one of the landmark projects of Türkiye’s republic era, has welcomed more than 400 million passengers since it opened seven years ago, placing itself among the world’s leading aviation hubs.
Built over 76.5 million square meters, the airport was inaugurated on Oct. 29, 2018. Since then, it has evolved into a global hub for both passenger and cargo transport.
With an annual capacity of 90 million passengers, Istanbul Airport operates under a single-roof terminal covering 1.4 million square meters. Once all phases are complete, it will be able to accommodate 200 million passengers a year and connect to over 350 destinations.
As of Oct. 19, Istanbul Airport had hosted 2.68 million flights and more than 400.27 million passengers. It now serves 115 airlines, connecting 330 destinations across 120 countries.
On the cargo side, it currently reaches 100 destinations and offers a 4-million-ton capacity, which will rise to 5.5 million tons upon completion of all development phases.
Europe’s busiest
According to European air traffic control agency Eurocontrol data, Istanbul Airport has been Europe’s busiest international airport for three consecutive years – 2022, 2023, and 2024.
The airport maintained its lead through most of 2025 as well.
It was last named the busiest aviation hub in Europe for the week through Oct. 19, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said on Wednesday, citing Eurocontrol data.
It surpassed major European capital airports such as Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris Charles de Gaulle, and London Heathrow, with a daily average of 1,556 flights, Uraloğlu said in a statement.
First in Europe with triple runway ops
A major operational milestone came this April, when Istanbul Airport launched simultaneous triple independent runway operations, allowing three aircraft to take off or land at the same time on fully separate runways.
That made it the first airport in Europe and the second in the world after the United States to implement such a system.
According to the Airport Industry Connectivity Report 2025 published by ACI EUROPE, Istanbul Airport ranked first globally in hub connectivity, overtaking Frankfurt Airport, which had long held the top spot.
The report also confirmed that Istanbul Airport continued to lead in the “Direct Connectivity” category across Europe in both 2024 and 2025.
Over its seven-year history, Istanbul Airport has received numerous awards and international recognition.
Most recently, it was voted “World’s Best Airport” by readers of Conde Nast Traveler, one of the world’s most prestigious travel magazines, for the second consecutive year.
It also retained its title as “World’s Best Airport” in Travel + Leisure’s 2025 rankings.
In addition, the airport became the first in Europe to achieve Level 5 accreditation in the Airport Customer Experience Accreditation program of the Airports Council International (ACI).
