Major airport overtakes London Heathrow to be Europe’s busiest
ONE airport in Europe has just become the most busy on the continent – beating London Heathrow’s record.
It’s about to get even busier too as it’s preparing to open a fourth runway later this year.
In the hope to get up to 200million passengers by 2028, Istanbul Airport in Turkey is increasing the amount of runways it has from three to four.
Kadri Samsunlu, the CEO of İGA revealed the fourth runway was being been constructed at the cost £428million, according to local media.
At the moment, the hub has a rare triple runway – and it was the first hub in Europe to have one.
Essentially, it means the airport can have three flights take off or land at the same time.
As a result, it increases the airport’s hourly traffic capacity from 120 to 148 aircraft movements.
The airport recently saw a record-breaking number of passengers through its doors with 289,260 people passing through the hub on August 1, 2026.
That makes it even busier than London Heathrow, which saw exactly 270,869 passengers in 24 hours.
Istanbul Airport handled a total of 39.92 million passengers in January-June.
These figures show an increase from 39.25 million in the same period of last year, according to data from the General Directorate of State Airports Authority (DHMİ).
Istanbul Airport is the second airport in the city and officially opened in late October 2018, before becoming fully operational in April 2019.
It was even announced as being the ‘world best’ in 2024, according to Travel + Leisure.
Inside, the airport has sleep pods for anyone with a layover who wants to take a nap.
It also has business pods for those needing to take work calls.
For passengers aged between 15 and 30 years old, there is a Youth Lounge Area with lots to do, it has a PlayStation, music, snacks and four hours of free Wi-Fi.
The airport even has its own spa offering wellness treatments and massages and TV-viewing areas as well as a museum and library.
What is it like to travel through Istanbul Airport?
THE Sun’s Assitant Travel Editor Sophie Swietochowski visited the airport in 2024 – here’s what she found…
“If there’s one airport I wouldn’t mind being seriously delayed in, it’s Istanbul in Turkey.
“The place is vast and shiny with enough food (for any budget), shopping (think chic clothes and hand-painted kitchenware), and entertainment (there’s even a library home to 2,000 books) to keep you occupied for hours on end.
“Better still, if your flight gets cancelled you won’t even need to endure the faff of security again as the large Yotel sits airside.
“I visited last year and couldn’t have been more grateful for the size of the place, meaning I could whizz straight past the screaming kids in the massive Lego store and head straight to the food courts where I had no problem finding a quiet seat for a drink – Çay Saati has traditional Turkish tea.
“In fact many stores in the airport blend Turkish traditions with the modern world and you could certainly get a flavour of Turkey without ever leaving the terminal.
“The size of the place comes with a downside, though. Make sure you keep an eye out for your gate as it will take you a while to walk there – and try not to get lost on the way.”
