The World's Most High-Performance Airport Is A Massive Global Hub That's Also One Of The Busiest

When heading to the airport, travelers usually hope that getting on the plane will be a smooth, stress-free process. Since travel delays are becoming an increasing issue, knowing which airports are notorious for them — and which keep them at a minimum — can be critical. A big part of keeping departures and arrivals on time is having the proper infrastructure and a staff that's able to tackle any unexpected issues thrown their way and keep travelers moving, even under the busiest conditions. It's for this very reason that Istanbul International Airport was just recognized with the Cirium Airport Platinum Award.

Cirium, a company that specializes in aviation analytics, just published its 2025 On-Time Performance Review and awarded the special honor to Istanbul Airport (IST). According to the organization, this award is given based on "operational complexity, passenger impact during disruptions, and growth trajectory." It's an amazing feat considering this sizeable airport served 85 million passengers going to 330 destinations in 2024. In fact, the Airports Council International named it the world's most connected hub. You can imagine that with more than 517,000 flights arriving and departing, keeping things performing properly at Europe's largest airport would be a challenge, yet IST manages to do this very well.

According to Cirium, passengers can feel good about leaving on time, given that 80.72% of the year's flights departed on schedule, with an average delay of just 45 minutes. The report considers any flight that leaves or arrives within 15 minutes of its scheduled time as on time. This places the airport 19th in the top 20 of large airports worldwide for on-time departures. But the award isn't just about punctuality, and this is where IST really shines.

Runway traffic, crew shortages, weather, and mechanical issues can all lead to delayed flights, so airports need to be ready to juggle many different issues. Luckily, Istanbul International Airport consistently works to prevent these issues from being felt by passengers. Part of this success is owed to the April 2025 opening of a triple runway system at the airport. IST is the first European airport to implement this system, which raised the number of departures per hour from 120 to 148 flights. By optimizing runway traffic and allowing three flights to depart simultaneously, the airport decreased delays and raised the performance benchmark for European airports.

Cirium notes that this increased capacity allowed the airport to avoid long delays by providing more space for flights that needed to adjust departure times. The efficiency of the upgrade and how it was handled by staff also earned Istanbul high marks. The report notes that ground crew, air traffic controllers, and airlines themselves had to adjust their routines to accommodate the third runway. Their ability to do so is a testament to the high skill level of everyone working at IST.

But it's not just Cirium that praises this busy hub, it took the Best Airport in the World awards in 2025 from both Condé Nast Traveler Readers Choice and Travel + Leisure. So the next time you need to make a layover in Europe, you may want to consider IST. We'd even dare to say that Istanbul Airport is one of the world's best for a layover. Or, better yet, stay and enjoy all the country has to offer, from cultural landmarks like the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque in Istanbul to Turkey's beautiful, but underrated, beaches.