Istanbul Airport (IST) has been named the world’s “most connected airport” in 2024, offering nonstop flights to 309 unique destinations, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Cirium’s data, based on the first half of 2024, shows that Istanbul is the only airport in the world that serves more than 300 unique destinations. The airport is home to Turkish Airlines, which is also one of the most connected airlines in the world, offering flights to more international countries than any other airline.

Photo: Istanbul Airport. Courtesy of Artem Bryzgalov / Unsplash

Supported by Turkish Airlines’ ambitious growth strategy and the airport’s strategic geographical location at the so-called “crossroads” between Europe and Asia, IST has recovered strongly and quickly from the pandemic, with passenger traffic increasing steadily in recent years. The airport welcomes around 90 million passengers each year and has a total capacity of 200 million per year, allowing for further growth.

Selahattin Bilgen, CEO of Istanbul Airport, said CNN: “Our strategic location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia enables us to serve as a major hub for international travel. We have also proven to be the most resilient airport, recovering fastest from the Covid-19 pandemic and returning to pre-pandemic numbers ahead of any other airport in the world.”

Frankfurt and Paris

Frankfurt Airport (FRA), the second busiest airport in the world, offers nonstop flights to 296 unique destinations. The airport is the home base of the German airline Lufthansa and has long been an important hub for European business travel.

Photo: Lufthansa, Airbus A319. Courtesy of Fraport – Frankfurt Airport

Another major European airport, Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG), ranks third with flights to 282 unique destinations.

Chicago leads in North America

Three North American airports made the top ten list. Chicago O’Hare (ORD) shared fourth place with Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS), offering flights to 270 destinations. Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) came in seventh with 261 destinations, and Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson (ATL) came in ninth with 237 destinations.

Hall of Flags at Chicago O’Hare International Airport / Photo: Rosamar/Shutterstock

These three major airports also serve as major hubs for the country’s three largest airlines – United, American Airlines and Delta.

The only other U.S. airport in the top 20 was Denver International Airport (DEN), which ranked 11th and offers flights to 229 unique destinations.

Notably, no UK airport made the top ten: London Heathrow (LHR) fell from 8th place in 2023 to 12th place. That’s only two places higher than London’s other major airport, London Gatwick (LGW), but still higher than its pre-pandemic rank of 18th in 2019.

Photo: London Heathrow Airport. Courtesy of BAA Airports Limited.

Of the 20 airports with the best connections in the world, half are in Europe. China and the USA are each represented with four airports in the top 20, although only one, Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG), makes it into the top 10. The remaining two airports are in the Middle East.

According to Cirium, these are the 20 best connected airports in the world in 2024: