OAG: Istanbul named world’s ‘most connected’ airport

Istanbul Airport has been named the world’s “most connected” airport for 2026, offering connections to 337 destinations, according to aviation data firm OAG’s latest Megahubs report.

The Turkish hub rose from second place in 2025 to top this year’s ranking, with Turkish Airlines accounting for 80 per cent of capacity. London Heathrow slipped to second after its connectivity was “undoubtedly affected by the ongoing disruption to Middle East schedules”, according to the report.

Amsterdam Schiphol, Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Chicago O’Hare completed the top five international megahubs.

OAG chief analyst John Grant said Istanbul’s connectivity had been “creeping up” in recent years, particularly since the airport launched ‘triple runway operations’ last April.

“It’s got a great mix of international and domestic connectivity… and [is] the only airport in Europe that can operate three simultaneous runways for arrivals and departures, so it can really squeeze the intensity of those peak hours, which drives connectivity,” Grant said during a webinar this week.

Istanbul Airport on Friday (18 September) opened its fourth main runway following an €890 million investment. The new runway is the first at the airport to operate on an east-west axis and is expected to further enhance its global connectivity.

Heathrow, meanwhile, “has no room to grow”, Grant said, with the UK hub operating at 99.6 per cent of available runway capacity this summer. Although the UK government has backed plans for a third runway, the privately funded expansion is expected to face legal and political challenges in the coming years.

OAG also highlighted the impact of geopolitics on global airline connectivity, citing the Russia-Ukraine war and conflict in the Middle East.

Heathrow’s capacity to the Middle East fell by 25 per cent year on year in August, according to OAG. Its potential connections on Sunday 2 August – the busiest day for global aviation in the 12 months to August 2026, based on total scheduled seats – were down by 6 per cent year on year.

“This could be a unique year for the Megahubs report because the Middle Eastern hubs are significantly down in their ranking [and] many of the [local] airlines are running at 20 per cent less frequency than they were previously,” Grant said. “It feels like this could be a snapshot year.”

Scheduled capacity in the Middle East fell by 5.7 per cent year on year in August, according to OAG. Airports in Dubai and Doha dropped to 31^st and 46^th place, respectively, in this year’s Megahubs ranking, down from 15^th and 34^th in 2025.

OAG compiled the ranking by comparing the number of scheduled international connections at each airport with the number of destinations served on the busiest day of the year. It analysed data from the 100 largest international airports and calculated the possible connections between inbound and outbound flights within a six-hour window.