Istanbul named as world’s most connected airport in 2024

Istanbul, Frankfurt and Paris Charles de Gaulle have been named as the top three airports in the world for serving the most destinations, according to research from aviation data analyst Cirium.

Cirium’s list of the top 20 most connected airports during the first half of 2024 found that Turkey’s main hub Istanbul served 309 destinations, followed by Frankfurt with 296 routes and Paris CDG (282).

Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport came joint fourth with 270 destinations, which tied it with Chicago’s O’Hare, the top US gateway. The only other European airport in the top 10 was Rome Fiumicino (234 routes).

No UK airport features in the top 10 with London Heathrow dropping from eighth position in 2023 to 12^th this year with 221 destinations. This placed it only just ahead of another London airport Gatwick which served 218 destinations. Madrid, Munich and Barcelona airports also featured in the list.

Cirium’s research shows that 10 of the top 20 most connected airports were in Europe with four each in China and the US, and two in the Middle East – Dubai International and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.