Upwards of 103.5 million arrivals at Istanbul Airport

Despite the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic that has brought the airline sector to its knees last year, Istanbul Airport has welcomed over 103.5 million people in the past three years since first being opened, as well as receiving multiple top accolades and international awards.

Istanbul Airport information

The airport first opened on October 29, Republic Day, 2018, and saw the start of a new era in Turkish aviation, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and more than 50 notable guests in attendance at the opening ceremony.

Over the last three-year period, a total of 730,083 flights have left Istanbul Airport and flown to 251 destinations around the world. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic that emerged 18 months after the airport opened and brought flying worldwide to a standstill, the airport was shut for a period of 59 days in 2020.

Total passenger numbers

After exceeding 103.5 million total passengers recently, the numbers of people passing through the mega airport is predicted to swiftly climb, particularly in the second quarter of the new year and is expected to peak during the summer months.

Award-winning Airport

At the 17th ACI Europe Awards in October, Istanbul Airport took the top honours, which is one of the most prestigious awards amongst the travel and tourism industry around the world. Before the airport opened it amassed various architectural awards for design and has received 31 awards in various different categories since the airport opened.

On September 1 of this year, the Air Transport Research Association (ATRS) named the airport as Europe's most efficient airport with more than 40 million passengers per year. Then at the 2021 Air Transport Awards, Istanbul Airport once again secured the top spot, and most sought after award.

Finally, at the beginning of October in 2021, over 800,000 international readers of the travel and lifestyle magazine Conde Nast Traveller voted Istanbul Airport the world's second-best airport.