According to a statement released by the airport’s operator, IGA,  last Thursday, Istanbul Airport has the “second greatest connectivity” of any airport in the world. The study by Cirium, which specialises in aviation data, served as the basis for the above claim.

Lufthansa’s primary hub in Germany, Frankfurt Airport, placed first on the list with connections to 330 destinations. IGA, with service to 309 locations, Istanbul Airport, is second only to Frankfurt Airport in terms of accessibility.

Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport (ranked #3) serves 308 different locations with its flights.

The list places Heathrow Airport in London, United Kingdom, as the fourth best airport in the world, followed by O’Hare Airport in Chicago, United States; Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, United Arab Emirates; Dubai International Airport, Rome, Italy; Fiumicino International Airport, and finally Denver Airport, United States.

After being officially opened in late October 2018 and fully operational in April 2019, Istanbul Airport, a sparkling glass and steel facility on the Black Sea coast, has become one of aviation’s most important transit centres.

A significant regional transportation hub, it represented the growing importance of Istanbul, Europe’s biggest metropolis that straddles Europe and Asia. While the present phase of Istanbul Airport’s development allows for 90 million people per year, that number pales in comparison to the 200 million passengers it will be able to service once all stages are finished.

The airport’s development and construction into four stages—including six runways—is scheduled to wrap up in 2028