According to new data from aviation analytics firm Cirium, IGA Istanbul Airport, which opened just six years ago in 2018, has emerged as the world’s best-connected airport.
Strategically located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Istanbul Airport offers an impressive 309 nonstop flights to destinations across the globe, primarily operated by Turkish Airlines, which serves more countries than any other airline.
Handling around 90 million passengers annually, Istanbul Airport ranks as the seventh busiest in the world and has an annual capacity of 200 million. The airport’s CEO, Selahattin Bilgen, highlighted its resilience, noting that it was the fastest to recover to pre-pandemic passenger numbers.
Following Istanbul, three European airports also made the list: Frankfurt at No. 2, Paris Charles de Gaulle at No. 3, and Amsterdam Schiphol tied with Chicago O’Hare at No. 4.
Dubai International Airport ranks 6th, serving 269 nonstop destinations. Other airports in the top 10 include Dallas Fort Worth, Shanghai Pudong, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson, and Rome Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino.
Interestingly, no Australian airport featured in the top 20.
The best-connected airports right now
1. Istanbul Airport. (309 unique nonstop destinations).
2. Frankfurt Airport. (296).
3. Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. (282).
4. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. (270 = tie).
4. Chicago O’Hare International Aiport. (270 = tie).
6. Dubai International Airport. (269).
7. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. (261).
8. Shanghai Pudong International Airport. (243).
9. Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. (237).
10. Rome Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino Airport. (234).
11. Denver International Airport. (229).
12. London Heathrow Airport. (221).
13. Jeddah King Abdulaziz International Airport. (219).
14. Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport. (218 = tie).
14. London Gatwick Airport. (218 = tie).
16. Munich Franz Joseph Strauss Airport. (217).
17. Barcelona El Prat Airport. (209).
18. Beijing Capital International Airport. (206).
19. Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport. (202).
19. Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. (202)
