IGA Istanbul dubbed as world's best-connected airport

Istanbul : IGA Istanbul Airport, which inaugurated only six years ago in 2018, has been revealed as the world's best-connected airport, according to new data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Occupying a prime East-meets-West location in Turkey, Istanbul Airport operates an impressive 309 nonstop flights to destinations around the world. Most of those are with Turkish Airlines, which serves more countries than any other airline.

Around 90 million passengers a year pass through this global hub, making it the seventh busiest airport in the world, with an annual capacity of 200 million.

Reports cited Selahattin Bilgen, the airport's CEO saying, "Our strategic location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia allows us to serve as a vital hub for international travel."

"We have also proven to be the most resilient airport, recovering the fastest ever after the Covid-19 pandemic and reaching our pre-pandemic passenger numbers before any other airport in the world," Bilgen added, according to reports.

Three European airports are next on the list: Frankfurt at no. 2, Paris Charles de Gaulle at no. 3 and Amsterdam Schiphol at no. 4. Tying with Schiphol at no. 4, with 270 nonstop destinations served is Chicago O'Hare