Istanbul Airport, a sprawling mega hub on Istanbul's Black Sea coast, has become the world's best-connected airport, according to a recent report.
The air hub, which opened its fourth runway last month, is also seen as a beneficiary of the shift in travel habits amid recent tensions in the Middle East, serving as a notable connecting point for passengers heading in the east-west direction and vice versa.
IGA Istanbul Airport CEO Selahattin Bilgen evaluated the airport's capacity, role in connectivity and passenger targets in an interview with CNN on Wednesday.
Bilgen stated that Istanbul Airport becoming the airport with the highest global connectivity power in the world is a direct result of long-term planning and capacity buildout which came together with traffic growth.
Commenting on its rise to first place in global connectivity power, he said that this leadership is an achievement "that has followed our status as the busiest airport in Europe in terms of passenger numbers and air traffic."
"Additionally, by overtaking Frankfurt, we became Europe’s largest cargo hub last year," he added.
"These achievements are the direct result of our long-term planning and capacity investments, which have advanced together with traffic growth," he suggested, when talking of vision for growth and goals of the air hub.
Fourth runway to boost capacity
Noting that the fourth runway, which opened in September, will contribute to the airport’s growth, Bilgen also suggested that, in addition to capacity investments, the operational model implemented also increased Istanbul Airport’s global connectivity power.
Bilgen emphasized that having more than 110 airlines operating at Istanbul Airport played an important role in building a strong connectivity network.
He attributed the success of Istanbul Airport to many factors, but especially investments that he said allow it to meet regional and global demand.
"The efficient operational model we have implemented has also contributed significantly. This way, we have attracted more than 110 airlines to our airport and have constantly advanced our connectivity power. Our fourth runway will also be part of offering new value to our airline partners," he noted.
"Our new runway will provide additional capacity to air traffic, increase efficiency, and support our operations," he added.
Mideast tension's effect
Evaluating the impact of the airspace restrictions in the Middle East on the global aviation sector, Bilgen stated that the geopolitical developments in the region have had a twofold effect on Istanbul Airport.
Bilgen said that Istanbul Airport’s status as the world's most connected airport has contributed to it taking over part of the air traffic along the east-west axis, but that some flights have been canceled due to developments in the region.
Bilgen stated that regional developments have also been reflected in year-end passenger number expectations.
"Being the world’s most connected airport has certainly helped us take on part of the traffic from west to east and east to west. However, Istanbul is a transit gateway for many countries in the Middle East and Africa. Issues in the region have led to the cancellation of certain flights. For this reason, we have revised our year-end passenger number estimate," he said.
He suggested that the new target was 86 million, down from 90 million.
OAG, the intelligence partner for global travel, last month published "Megahubs 2026," its annual ranking of the world's most internationally connected airports. Istanbul Airport took first place globally for the first time, rising from second in 2025, with connections to 337 destinations worldwide.
London Heathrow moved to second place.