CLARIFIES AIRPORT RANKINGS FOR ISTANBUL AIRPORT AND TÜRKİYE IN TERMS OF EUROPE AND WORLDWIDE
By Emir Yildirim
ISTANBUL (AA) – Türkiye's mega Istanbul Airport last week was the busiest air hub in Europe, said the nation’s transportation and infrastructure minister on Thursday.
Istanbul Airport saw 1,520 daily flights on June 17-23, up 21% from the pre-pandemic period in 2019, said Abdulkadir Uraloglu, citing data from the European Organization for Air Navigation Safety (Eurocontrol).
Istanbul Airport – the biggest airport in the metropolis, one of Türkiye's top tourist draws – on June 17-23 also ranked seventh out of 25 airports worldwide with 768 daily departures, he added.
In addition, Türkiye in general ranked sixth in European countries in terms of air traffic, with 3,894 total flights per day.
Uraloglu said Turkish airspace is among the most efficient airspaces in Europe, with an average delay time of less than half a minute per flight.
As for other notable Turkish airports, Antalya Airport on the Turkish Riviera ranked eighth in Europe last week with 992 average daily flights, up 12% from the same period in 2019.