Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport becomes Europe’s fastest-growing major airport

Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport became Europe’s fastest-growing airport in the “Major Airports” category in the first half of 2026, according to a report published by Airports Council International Europe (ACI Europe) on Thursday.

The airport increased passenger traffic by 6.4% in the first six months of 2026 compared with the same period last year, recording the highest growth rate among European airports handling more than 40 million passengers.

ACI Europe said passenger traffic at European airports rose 2.6% in the first half of the year compared with the same period a year earlier.

The report said passenger traffic growth slowed from 4.3% in the first quarter to 1.3% in the second quarter. Domestic passenger traffic increased 3%, while international passenger traffic rose 2.5%.

According to the report, passenger traffic at airports across Türkiye increased 2.8% in the first six months of the year, while Sabiha Gokcen’s growth of 6.4% exceeded both the European and national averages.

The report said Barcelona Airport ranked second among airports in the “Major Airports” category with 4.4% growth, followed by Madrid Airport with 4.2%, Istanbul Airport with 1.6% and Rome Fiumicino Airport with 0.3%.