As the global travel industry grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, Turkey being relatively less affected by the virus and the performance of its mega Istanbul Airport have been the bright spots this year. The airport is said to have seen the highest passenger growth among its European peers during the outbreak.
Just like the rest of the world, the coronavirus pandemic has brought flights to a standstill in Turkey as well.
"The global aviation sector is facing the biggest crisis in its history," said Transport and Infrastructure Minister Adil Karaismailoğlu. "Since January 2020, Europe has experienced a loss of 1.4 billion passengers, down 79% from 2019. In Turkey, the aviation sector experienced a 56% contraction," Karaismailoğlu told Anadolu Agency (AA) Sunday, marking the International Civil Aviation Day.
The country's flag carrier, Turkish Airlines (THY), has been among the carriers operating the most flights in Europe, the minister said.
"Again, the airport that increased its passengers the most during the pandemic period in Europe was IGA Istanbul Airport, which saw the number grow by almost 7%," he noted, without providing further details.
The airport has seen the highest number of flights in Europe from Nov. 28 to Dec. 4, according to the European Organization for Air Navigation Safety (Eurocontrol) on Sunday.
The airport saw 471 flights on Nov. 28, 542 flights on Nov. 29 and 496 flights on Nov. 30, data showed.
It recorded 423 flights on Dec. 1, 498 flights on Dec. 2, 483 flights on Dec. 3, while 570 flights were registered on Friday.
"Leader of the week again!," Istanbul Airport's operator IGA said on Twitter.
"According to @eurocontrol data between November 28 to December 4, we have become the busiest airport. We wish everyone plenty more healthy and safe flights!" it added.
The airport left behind many important peers such as Amsterdam Schiphol, Frankfurt Airport, Heathrow Airport and Paris Charles de Gaulle.
It had also seen the highest number of flights in Europe from Nov. 18 to Nov. 26 with an average of 500 daily flights during that period, according to the data.
Istanbul Airport served nearly 20 million passengers from January through October of this year, according to the General Directorate of State Airports Authority (DHMI) data.
Taking into consideration virus-induced measures, flights are being carried out to 155 points in 96 countries, Karaismailoğlu said, adding that trips are being made to 199 points, including 44 domestic airports.
Karaismailoğlu noted that international flights include charter, scheduled and evacuation, adding that changes in the number of flights can be observed depending on the course of the outbreak and restrictions imposed by different nations.
The spike in coronavirus cases in the U.S. and Europe makes the financial outlook of the world's airlines worse. Airlines will lose more than $157 billion this year and next because of the pandemic, International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in its latest report.
The forecast is worse than the group's June estimate of $100 billion in losses for the two years. The latest approximation breaks down to airlines losing $66 for every passenger carried this year.
Beliefs persist that travel will increase as COVID-19 vaccines become available.
Last year, airlines carried 4.5 billion passengers, according to the trade group. It estimates that number will plunge to 1.8 billion this year, then rise to 2.8 billion next year.
Passenger revenue is expected to decline 69% this year, but cargo loads are expected to rise next year partly from the shipment of vaccines.
Karaismailoğlu also pointed to Turkey's wide flight network.
The minister stressed that the country has a bilateral aviation negotiation agreement with 173 of the 192 countries that are members of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), making it one of the countries with the most advanced flight networks in the world. It is one of the nations that contribute most to the development of global air transport with its flight network that reaches 329 points in 127 countries, Karaismailoğlu noted.
"Over the past 17 years, we have conducted more than 600 bilateral aviation negotiations, making Turkey the country with the most advanced flight network in the world."