Mike Malik, Chief Marketing Officer, Cirium
That infrastructure milestone, combined with sustained performance across the full year, has earned Istanbul Airport Cirium’s 2025 Platinum Award for the world’s best-performing airport.
Istanbul handles over 84 million passengers annually across 330 destinations through 116 airlines. Positioned at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, the airport manages dense connectivity patterns, complex wave structures, and high daily aircraft movements. At this intensity, minor disruptions propagate quickly across regions and time zones without active management.
In June 2025, ACI Europe’s Airport Industry Connectivity Report named Istanbul Airport the world’s most connected hub, overtaking Frankfurt after a 59% increase in global hub connectivity since 2019. The airport also leads Europe in direct connectivity.
The Platinum Award measures more than on-time departure percentages. Cirium’s analysis evaluates delay severity, the airport’s ability to limit prolonged disruption, and how effectively operations preserve schedule integrity across the wider network. Performance is assessed across the full calendar year, not isolated peak periods.
Istanbul distinguished itself through consistency across changing seasonal demand and varying congestion levels. The additional airside capacity reduced peak-period congestion and strengthened the airport’s ability to absorb disruption without allowing delays to escalate.
Large, complex airports inevitably face weather events, airspace constraints, and downstream delays. What separates strong operations from exceptional ones is the response when pressure builds. Istanbul’s 2025 performance reflected management that limited delay severity and reduced passenger disruption, even during peak demand.
The runway upgrade required coordination across multiple stakeholders. Airlines adjusted gate assignments and taxi procedures. Ground handlers modified turnaround sequencing. Air traffic control refined departure spacing. The capacity expansion delivered value because the airport’s operations adapted to use it effectively.
This achievement comes as airport performance faces increasing scrutiny. Passenger expectations continue rising, airline networks operate closer to capacity, and tolerance for disruption is diminishing. Airports now play a central role in safeguarding aviation system reliability, with their performance directly influencing airline outcomes and customer trust.
Cirium’s Platinum Airport Award provides an independent, data-driven benchmark for excellence. Using globally consistent methodologies and verified operational data, the award recognizes airports that deliver reliable performance at scale across an entire year.
By earning the 2025 Platinum Airport Award, Istanbul Airport demonstrates that scale and complexity can coexist with consistency and control. The combination of infrastructure investment and operational discipline sets a clear benchmark for major hub airports navigating sustained pressure on global aviation infrastructure. We congratulate Istanbul Airport’s management and operational teams for earning this prestigious distinction.
