Istanbul Airport becomes world's best-connected airport

Istanbul Airport has overtaken London Heathrow to become the world's best-connected airport, according to the OAG Megahubs 2026 index. The Turkish hub, which is the largest privately owned airport globally, moved from second place in 2025 to the top position this year.

Istanbul offers connectivity to 337 destinations with 89,456 possible transfer combinations. In the 12 months ending in August, the airport served over 51.2 million passengers. Turkish Airlines accounts for 80 percent of the airport's available capacity.

London Heathrow fell to second place, seeing a six percent decrease in possible transfers on the year's busiest travel day. Connectivity at Heathrow was impacted by air traffic disruptions in the Middle East, which reduced regional line capacities by 25 percent in August compared to the previous year. Amsterdam Schiphol maintained third place, while Kuala Lumpur remained fourth, serving as the best-connected airport in Asia.