Istanbul’s vast airport continues to be the busiest civil aviation hub in Europe, according to an air traffic control agency, which also named Türkiye’s flag carrier among the airlines flying the most daily flights.
Istanbul Airport saw an average of 1,446 daily flights between April 26 and May 2, the pan-European network manager Eurocontrol data showed, placing it ahead of Amsterdam, London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt.
Türkiye’s largest and one of the biggest airports in the world was also one of the two European hubs that surpassed their 2019 levels before the coronavirus pandemic grounded aircraft around the world.
Average daily departures and arrivals at Istanbul Airport during the April 26-May 2 period jumped 24% from a year ago and marked a 21% increase versus 2019, the Eurocontrol data showed.
“Almost all airports experienced sustained growth in 2022; ranging from 1% (Palma de Mallorca) to 24% (IGA Istanbul),” its report read.
“IGA Istanbul and Palma de Mallorca are the two airports in 2023 amongst the Top 10 surpassing their 2019 levels,” it noted.
The gleaming glass-and-steel structure 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.
Istanbul Airport can handle 90 million passengers a year in the current phase. While it is a high figure, it is nothing compared to its potential capacity to serve 200 million after completing all phases, making it the world’s largest.
All four phases of the airport’s construction and expansion, including six runways, are expected to be completed by 2028.
Istanbul Airport was also crowned the busiest in Europe throughout 2022, with an average of 1,156 flights per day, according to Eurocontrol's 2022 report. It was the only airport in Europe to catch the pre-pandemic figures.
The Eurocontrol data showed European airports served 28,204 flights per day on average during the April 26-May 2 period, marking a 7% increase from a year ago and standing at 92% of 2019 levels.
Overall, Türkiye served 3,090 flights per day in the same period, ranking sixth in Europe.
It was named among the three states, along with Norway and Portugal, which surpassed their 2019 levels. Average daily flights in Türkiye rose 19% from 2022 and 8% compared to 2019.
The same goes for the national flag carrier Turkish Airlines (THY), which ranked among the four European carriers that topped their 2019 flight levels.
THY operated 1,521 daily flights on average between April 26 and May 2, ranking third after Ryanair and EasyJet. Its flights jumped 17% versus 2022 and 12% compared to the same period in 2019.
