Istanbul Airport’s fast-emerging status as key hub airport linking Asia with Europe is gathering momentum and threatens to take a slice of the international transit cake enjoyed by destinations in the Middle East.
The Turkish hub was the second busiest European airport in terms of passenger numbers in 2023 behind London Heathrow, and the busiest in terms of the number of flights.
Airport CEO Selahattin Bilgen says 2024 will be a “year of investments” with a target of 85 million passengers, up from 76 million in 2023.
Among investments are extra runways and a solar power project which is scheduled to be completed in 2024, and which will make Istanbul the first airport in the world to meet all its electricity needs with renewable energy.
Also under construction is the Hilton Istanbul Airport, which is due to completion in the first quarter of 2025 – one of 11 Hilton group properties currently under development in Türkiye.
Bilgen revealed at the airport’s annual media briefing that iGA (Istanbul Grand Airport) Istanbul will welcome a total of 11 new airlines by the end of 2024, “establishing leadership in the global aviation industry”.
In March, Turkish Airlines will launch its inaugural flights to Australia with an Istanbul-Melbourne service, via Singapore.