ISTANBUL 

As it marks its seventh birthday on Wednesday, IGA Istanbul Airport, Türkiye’s gateway to the world, has so far welcomed more than 400 million passengers.

Spanning 76.5 million square meters (823 million square feet), the airport was inaugurated on Oct. 29, 2018, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and then-Parliament Speaker Binali Yildirim taking part alongside more than 50 high-level guests from around the world.

Attending the opening ceremony were presidents and premiers from Albania, Serbia, Qatar, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Moldova, Pakistan, Sudan, Bosnia, and Bulgaria.

The air hub transformed Istanbul into a world hub for the global aviation industry in terms of passenger count and cargo transport with its spacious terminals and customs areas, independent runways, dining, and other social facilities.

The airport boasts a 53,700 m2 (578,022 ft2) duty-free area and some 181 stores, 114 restaurants, and cafes.

The IGA Istanbul Airport’s main terminal is as large as 1.4 square kilometers (.87 square miles), and it has an annual capacity of 90 million passengers.

The airport’s various facilities provide transportation for 200 million passengers and more than 350 destinations per year at full capacity.

115 airlines, 330 destinations

The number of airlines operating flights to IGA Istanbul Airport rose to 115 in 2025, flying to over 330 destinations in 120 countries.

Aboard a total of 2.6 million flights, as of Oct. 19 IGA Istanbul Airport had carried 400.7 million passengers.

The airport boasts 100 cargo destinations and a capacity of 4 million tons. When all phases of investments into its infrastructure are complete, its cargo capacity will reach 5.5 million.

Meanwhile, IGA Istanbul Airport became Europe’s busiest air hub in 2022, 2023, and 2024, maintaining its leading position ahead of airports in European capitals such as Amsterdam, Paris, and London, according to Eurocontrol.

The air hub reached a new milestone this year, becoming the first airport in Europe and the second worldwide to operate simultaneous triple independent runways, allowing three aircraft to land and take off at once on completely different runways.

At the same time, it surpassed Frankfurt Airport to become world leader in hub connectivity worldwide this year, according to a report by ACI EUROPE. IGA Istanbul Airport also maintained its leader position in direct connectivity across Europe for two consecutive years.

Recently, IGA Istanbul Airport was voted the world’s best airport by prestigious magazine Conde Nast Traveler in both 2024 and 2025.

Travel + Leisure magazine also named it the world’s best airport in 2024 and 2025.

IGA Istanbul Airport received the highest level in the Airports Council International (ACI) customer service experience accreditation program as of June.