Istanbul Airport secures top spot in Europe for 3rd consecutive year
An aerial view of the apron where the Turkish Airlines aircraft is located at Istanbul Airport, İstanbul, Türkiye, Jan. 1, 2023. (AA Photo)
The European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol) reported on Jan. 24 that Istanbul Airport has maintained its leading position in Europe in daily flight traffic in 2024, marking the third consecutive year of this achievement.
Türkiye’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu highlighted that Istanbul Airport handled an average of 1,401 flights daily in 2024, according to Eurocontrol’s European Aviation Overview Report.
Uraloglu emphasized that Istanbul Airport, one of Türkiye’s mega projects, is poised to retain its top ranking in the years ahead. Since its inauguration, the airport has served 338.15 million passengers, including 255.7 million on international flights.
He also noted that Türkiye ranks sixth among European countries in terms of air traffic volume, with an average of 3,140 daily flights.
“Our success in managing flight density extends to minimizing delays. When we examine Eurocontrol’s airspace delay statistics, Turkish airspace has proven to be one of the most efficient in Europe, with delays of less than 0.5 minutes per flight,” Uraloglu stated.
Top 10 airports in Europe for 2024
According to Eurocontrol’s ranking, Amsterdam, London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle, and Frankfurt airports followed Istanbul Airport in terms of daily flight traffic in 2024.
Rome Fiumicino Airport ranked ninth, ending the year with the largest daily traffic growth among the top 10 airports, recording an 18% increase compared to 2023. Both Barcelona and Rome have returned to their 2019 levels, with Barcelona achieving a new airport record of 1,173 flights on Jun. 21, 2024.
