Istanbul Airport, one of the world's busiest aviation hubs located in Türkiye's largest city, served a record 289,260 passengers on Saturday, marking the highest single-day passenger count ever recorded in both Türkiye and Europe, the country's transport minister announced.

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said in a written statement that the airport broke the record on August 1.

"Istanbul Airport has reached the highest daily passenger count of all time in Türkiye and Europe. With this figure, our Istanbul Airport has set a new record," Uraloglu said.

Previous record surpassed

The new figure surpasses the airport's earlier record of 282,835 passengers, set on August 2, 2025, according to airport operator IGA (Istanbul Grand Airport). The airport closed 2025 with 84.46 million passengers, a 5 percent increase over 2024, and has set a target of 90 million passengers for 2026.

According to IGA data, Istanbul Airport connects to more than 330 destinations worldwide and is served by 116 scheduled airlines, making it a major transfer point between Europe, Asia, and beyond.

Uraloglu said the airport's capacity, infrastructure, and service quality placed it among the world's leading airports.

"This new record once again demonstrates that our airport's position as a global transfer hub has been further strengthened," he said.

Source: Türkiye Today