Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu spoke at the 8th World Airport Experience Summit organized by ACI World in Istanbul. Minister Uraloğlu stated: “Today’s societies are aware that time is the most valuable and scarce resource, one that can neither be turned back, stored, nor stopped. The breathtaking progress of the aviation sector undoubtedly lies behind the fact that this truth has permeated every aspect of our lives. For air transportation is not merely a means of getting from one point to another; it is also the strongest foundation for nations to grow closer, for economies to integrate, and for the future to be built together.”

356 International Flight Destinations in 133 Countries

Emphasizing that aviation is not just a mode of transport but a matter of vision that determines countries’ global competitiveness and shapes the future, Uraloğlu said:

“At this point, the most critical link connecting the strategic power of air transportation to the ground emerges: airports… These facilities, where a country’s connection with the skies becomes tangible and which serve as gates opening nations to one another, are in fact not merely structures where aircraft land and take off; they are gateways of civilization where trade, culture, and human relations meet. Today, building an airport is not simply erecting a structure of concrete and steel; it is building a door to the future and drawing a new route that will carry us to the center of the world. Indeed, nations with a strong airport network are also among the determining actors of world trade.”

Stating that Türkiye has crowned its unique position with the giant airport projects it has implemented over the past 24 years, Uraloğlu said, “With 356 international flight destinations in 133 countries, it has become a true crossroads connecting continents. Our modern airport infrastructure, spread across every corner of our country, especially Istanbul Airport, is not only a concrete indicator of passenger and cargo transportation; it is also a tangible reflection of our country’s global vision and regional leadership ambition.”

“We Have Opened an Average of 1.4 Airports Every Year”

He said that one reason for this success was Türkiye’s becoming one of the fastest-developing countries in the world thanks to the air transport policies and activities carried out under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan since 2002. Uraloğlu continued:

“First of all, opening domestic passenger transportation to competition was a milestone for our aviation sector. We increased the number of active airports from 26 in 2002 to 58 by renovating 16 idle airports and building 16 new airports. We opened an average of 1.4 airports every year. We are not stopping at this number of airports. With the airports currently under construction, we will soon raise the number to 60. Acting with the goal of ‘There Will Be No Point in the World We Cannot Reach,’ we have transformed our country into one of the countries with the broadest flight network in the world. We increased the number of countries with which we have Air Transport Agreements from 81 to 175. Thus, while flights were being operated to 60 destinations in 50 countries on international routes, we added 296 new destinations to our flight network, reaching 356 destinations in 133 countries, as I mentioned earlier.”

“We Rose to Third in Europe and Seventh in the World”

Explaining that the number of passengers traveling on domestic and international routes, which was around 34.5 million in 2002, rose to 247 million in 2025, breaking a record in the Republic’s history, Uraloğlu said, “We rose to 3rd in Europe and 7th in the world. Istanbul Airport stands before us as the most magnificent symbol of this success and one of the leaders of the skies.”

Istanbul Airport Became Europe’s Busiest Airport

Uraloğlu emphasized that Istanbul Airport is not only a terminal building but the embodiment of engineering and Türkiye’s Century ambition rising into the skies, saying: “With an average of 1,665 flights per day, our Istanbul Airport has once again become Europe’s busiest airport, surpassing major hubs such as Paris Charles de Gaulle, Amsterdam, and London Heathrow. In the same period, among 25 airports on a global scale, it ranked 6th worldwide with an average of 843 aircraft departures per day. And beyond that… On August 16, 2026, our Istanbul Airport reached the highest daily number of flights and passengers of all time in Türkiye and Europe, with 1,739 flights and 290,287 passengers, setting a new record in both flight and passenger numbers. Likewise, just three days ago, on August 30, we refreshed our record by operating 1,787 flights.”

Istanbul Airport at the Highest Level in ACI World Airport Customer Experience Accreditation

Highlighting that İGA Istanbul Airport has also renewed Level 5, the highest level in the ACI World Airport Customer Experience Accreditation, Uraloğlu continued:

“Our flag carrier in the skies, Turkish Airlines, continues to hold the position of the airline flying to the most countries in the world; with the opportunities offered by Istanbul Airport, it is growing as a global transfer and direct destination hub. Türkiye, with an average of 4,400 flights per day, has risen to 6th place among the countries with the highest traffic volume in Europe, surpassing countries such as Greece, Poland, the Netherlands, and Portugal. These figures are no coincidence. These records are the concrete result of planned investments, determined will, and the goal that there will be no point in the world we cannot reach.”

“We Have Reached the Final Stage on the Fourth Main Runway”

Recalling that they achieved a first in Europe with triple independent runway operations at Istanbul Airport, Uraloğlu said, “We also made history as the second country after the United States to implement this application. Now we are taking another step. We have reached the final stage in our work on the 4th main runway of Istanbul Airport. We aim for our runway, which is 2,820 meters long and 45 meters wide in the east-west axis, to begin operations in the coming days after technical tests. In this way, we will further strengthen the infrastructure suited to increasing passenger and flight traffic and make Istanbul Airport’s leadership permanent.”

Emphasizing that passenger experience at airports is also at the center of operations, Uraloğlu continued:

“With free Wi-Fi, water dispensers, baby care and children’s play areas, and our accessibility certificates, we continuously increase passenger satisfaction. The vast majority of our airports are carbon-accredited, making us a leader in sustainability as well. With the Free Route Airspace application, we save fuel, time, and emissions, while increasing our air navigation capacity with domestic and national technologies. All these steps show that, for us, an airport is not merely an apron where aircraft land and take off, but a vision space where our responsibility toward the passenger’s time, safety, comfort, and our planet is embodied.”