Standing at the crossroad of continents, Istanbul has long been a global linchpin.

As Byzantium and then Constantinople, it controlled trade routes along the Silk Road and maritime passage from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean.

In the golden age of railways, Istanbul was the end point of the Orient Express, at the very cusp of Europe and Asia.

Now, in the 21st century, iGA Istanbul Airport is ruling the skies, having just overtaken London Heathrow as the best-connected airport on the planet.

“They’ve finally got the number one position,” says John Grant, chief analyst at OAG, a global travel data provider which has just released its Megahubs 2026 Index, comparing the world’s top airports.

The rankings are generated by comparing the number of scheduled connections to and from international flights, with the number of destinations served from the airport. They do this through a snapshot look at the busiest day of the year, which this year was August 2.

Gaining the top spot is “an important achievement for iGA Istanbul Airport and reflects the position we have built as a global aviation hub,” airport CEO Selahattin Bilgen tells CNN. “Today, we already serve approximately 350 destinations around the world, with significant room to grow further.”

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is third place in this year’s ranking, followed by Kuala Lumpur at No.4 and Chicago O’Hare at No.5.

‘Unassailable’

It’s been a swift and impressive rise for the award-winning $12 billion Istanbul Airport, which opened to much fanfare in 2018, about 20 miles outside Istanbul on the European side. This is a hub built for scale: Its huge 1.4-million-square-meter terminal is the world’s largest under one roof and the whole 76.5-million-square-meter site is bigger than Manhattan.

More than 84 million passengers pass through each year, making it the eighth busiest airport in the world. However, the long-term plan is to increase capacity to 200 million passengers per year, which is double the annual number currently handled by Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, the world’s busiest airport.

“They’re going to be unassailable in the coming years,” says Grant. “They’ve got runway capacity. They’ve got a national airline that is hugely successful and continues to grow with new fleet orders. They’re very close to some of the most emergent markets in the world, such as Central Asia. They’ve benefited partly from the Middle East situation. They’re just very well placed.”

Istanbul Airport opened its fourth main runway last month and the end goal is for the hub to have nine: six main and three reserve.

The new 2,820-meter-long runway is its first to run east to west, meaning a reduction in taxiing and airborne times for westbound aircraft, saving time and fuel.

“They’re the only airport in the world that is licensed for three simultaneous runway operations,” says Grant, “You can build more frequency at those peak hours, and it gives you more operational flexibility. If you’ve got three runways, then you’re likely to improve your punctuality.”

Competitive edge

Turkish Airlines has an 80% share of flights at Istanbul Airport and plays a key role in the hub’s success. Two years ago, it entered Guinness World Records for its achievement in flying to more countries than any other airline: 130 in total, as of 2026.

It operates a modern and rapidly expanding fleet of more than 500 Boeing and Airbus aircraft, including a diverse mix of narrow and widebody planes.

A younger fleet makes “a better impression” on customers, says Viktoriia Myroniuk, a senior lecturer in air transport management at the UK’s Cranfield University, reflecting on the polished service that helped earn Turkish Airlines its recent Skytrax award for Best Airline in Europe.

Newer aircraft are also more efficient, which, in this time of rising fuel prices, gives the airline a competitive edge, allowing them to lower ticket prices.

Selahattin Bilgen, CEO of iGA Istanbul Airport, tells CNN, “The efficiency and cost advantages we provide continue to attract new airlines to our network each year, and today we are one of only two major hubs worldwide serving the largest number of airlines.”

Infrastructure is equally key to that connectivity. “As a relatively new airport, iGA İstanbul Airport was designed from the outset with growth in mind, providing the capacity and flexibility to accommodate increasing passenger demand and support our role as a major international transfer hub.”

Capacity for growth

OAG’s 2026 Megahub rankings are inevitably affected by the ongoing disruption in the Middle East, as well as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

While other airports and regions have suffered, Istanbul Airport and Turkey’s geographical position and diplomatic relations have by chance granted it better fortune.

Istanbul Airport has the flexibility and capacity for growth that its competitors in the region lack. London Heathrow’s plan for a third runway remains highly controversial, due to the environmental impact in a highly built-up corner of southeast England. Amsterdam Schiphol, the world’s third best connected, has a flight cap of 488,000 movements a year.

“The fact that Istanbul Airport is slightly on the outskirts” means “they can operate 24/7,” says Myroniuk.

She also praises Turkish Airlines’ stopover program, which allows connecting passengers to take a break to explore Istanbul and enjoy free accommodation in partner hotels.

“I’m one of those unlucky passengers who really can’t sleep on board” and struggle on economy flights, Myroniuk says, but “your luggage stays with Turkish Airlines. You go to the perfect night’s rest.”

Strengthening positions

It’s a form of sustainable tourism, she says, allowing travelers to embrace slower travel and to connect with local culture, rather than notching up cheap connecting flights with no experiences to show for it.

For many passengers it is also easier to get a visa to stop off in Turkey than it would be to take an exploratory tour from an EU airport, so that’s another advantage Istanbul Airport enjoys.

Although it’s hard to make any predictions in these turbulent times, Grant says that “all things being equal,” Istanbul will continue to hold onto its position in 2027.

“I think we’re going to see over the next three or four years the Chinese airports strengthen in their positions. We’re seeing more international growth from Chinese airlines, and that will help them,” he says.

International airlines including British Airways have yet to resume flying to the Middle East, but airports in the region will hopefully “get back to where they were,” says Grant. “All of which will continue to chip away at the position at Heathrow and Amsterdam Schiphol, and Paris, where we have European airports” that are reaching capacity. (CNN)

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