Istanbul Airport sets new record in number of daily passengers
A Turkish Airlines aircraft is pictured taking off from Istanbul Airport, Istanbul, Türkiye, June 27, 2024. (IHA Photo)


Türkiye's largest air hub, Istanbul Airport, has broken its earlier record with the number of passengers served in a single day, a top official announced Monday.

Istanbul Airport served 268,275 passengers on Sunday, breaking last year's record for the number of travelers in a single day, said Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu.

In a written statement, the minister said 205,721 passengers arrived at the airport on international flights and 62,554 others on domestic flights on June 30, the last day of the month.

"This figure has been recorded as the highest number of passengers of all time since the opening of Istanbul Airport," he said.

He also reported that total aircraft traffic on Sunday was 1,592, with 1,214 international flights and 378 domestic flights.

Uraloğlu mentioned that the previous record was set on July 2, 2023, with 265,961 passengers.

"Istanbul Airport breaks a new record every day as a testament to its importance worldwide as the world’s most significant center for air travel, and we are proud of its increasing success," the minister added.

The mega airport, along the Black Sea coast, has managed to turn into one of the most important transit centers in aviation since it was officially declared open in late October 2018, before becoming fully operational in April 2019.

Separately on Sunday, the minister also informed of the record traffic observed in Antalya Airport, which serves as a premiere air hub in the Mediterranean region for a growing number of visitors to the famed sea resort city.

Minister Uraloğlu said that on Saturday, June 29, there were 1,146 flights at Antalya Airport, 1,019 of which were on international lines and 127 on domestic lines.

He said that the airport served some 209,540 passengers on the date in question, with 189,508 of them on international flights and 20,032 on domestic flights. Uraloğlu noted that this figure was seen as the highest in 2024.

Both Istanbul and Antalya airports witnessed increased traffic during the recent Qurban Bayram holiday, also known as Eid al-Adha, which boosted the country's tourism sector.