Istanbul Airport opened in 2018 on the Black Sea side of the city and immediately became one of Europe's busiest, with a main terminal that is among the largest in the world under a single roof. Its ceiling references the domes and tilework of Ottoman architecture. The current schedule feed lists 337 airports in 129 countries connected to Arnavutkoy.
It is the hub of Turkish Airlines, which flies to more countries than any other airline in the world — a network built on Istanbul's position within a few hours of both Europe and much of Asia and Africa.
Istanbul Airport is the 8th busiest airport in the world — it handled 84,437,710 passengers in 2025, according to ACI World's annual ranking.
The most frequently served routes for Istanbul Airport connect to Ankara (ESB), Izmir (ADB) and Antalya (AYT).
The longest connected route for Istanbul Airport reaches Sydney (SYD). This non-stop flight covers a distance of 9,304 miles (14,973 km).