Türkiye’s Istanbul Airport Tops Global Rankings Two Years in Row

Türkiye’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu has announced that Istanbul Airport was once again named the world’s best airport, securing the top spot for the second consecutive year.

“Istanbul Airport achieves double success,” Uraloğlu announced in a post on X, The Caspian Post reports via local media.

“Istanbul Airport topped the ‘World’s Top 10 International Airports’ survey conducted by Travel and Leisure for the second consecutive time. Additionally, on July 18, it reached its highest daily flight count since its opening with 1,695 air traffic movements,” the minister said.

The prestigious Travel and Leisure magazine, which conducts the annual ranking based on reader surveys, praised the airport’s performance and year-over-year progress.

"And if it's possible, the airport got even better - securing a 98.57 score compared to last year’s 95.79," the magazine noted in a statement earlier this week.

It also emphasized Istanbul Airport's rise in rankings:

"This year's result is extra impressive considering Istanbul Airport came in at number seven in the 2023 survey, with a reader score of 83.36."

Travel and Leisure evaluates international airports based on criteria including accessibility, check-in experience, security efficiency, dining and shopping, and overall design.

Having first entered the magazine’s global rankings in 2021-the first Turkish airport ever to do so-Istanbul Airport has solidified its reputation as a world-class aviation hub. In 2024, it was again named the best airport in the world, a reflection of its expanding infrastructure and growing international profile.

In terms of traffic, Istanbul Airport was Europe’s second-busiest in 2024, handling approximately 80 million passengers, according to Türkiye’s State Airports General Directorate (DHMI). The airport also began operating three runways simultaneously in April, becoming the first in Europe - and only the second globally after an airport in the US - to achieve this milestone.

In addition, the Airports Council International (ACI) Europe named it Europe’s busiest air cargo hub in its 2024 Annual Traffic Report.

According to weekly statistics from the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol), Istanbul Airport frequently tops the list of daily flights across Europe, further solidifying its status as a continental leader in aviation.