US envoy praises Istanbul Airport as world's most connected hub
Istanbul Airport serves 337 destinations and ranks ahead of London Heathrow, which dropped to second place in OAG's Megahubs 2026 ranking.
US Ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barrack congratulated Istanbul Airport on Monday on its ranking as the world's most connected airport, Turkey's state-run news agency Anadolu Agency reported.
In a post on X, Barrack said the airport now ranks first among the world's airports for connections, with 337 destinations and nearly 90,000 possible connections on a single day.
He also extended his congratulations to Airport CEO Selahattin Bilgen and the wider team at airport operator IGA.
Barrack wrote that Türkiye sits at the crossroads of the world and that IGA had built the hub to prove it.
Global travel data provider OAG announced the ranking in September, placing Istanbul Airport at the top of its Megahubs 2026 list.
London Heathrow fell to second place amid ongoing disruptions to Middle East flight schedules, OAG said.
Istanbul Airport served 56.6 million passengers on 52,468 flights in the first eight months of the year, the report said.
The travel magazine Travel + Leisure also named the airport the world's best airport in a survey published in July.
Istanbul Airport is one of the largest aviation hubs in Türkiye and serves as a major transfer point for flights linking Europe, Asia and Africa.
