Turkey's new gateway opening up to the world, Istanbul Airport, has been awarded a special honor by Global Traveler, a U.S.-based monthly travel magazine that has global access and reaches out to consumers who travel frequently, consume luxury products and enjoy premium travel and accommodation opportunities.

At the award ceremony held at the Sofitel West Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles on May 16, Istanbul Airport won the Special Achievement Award in the "Outstanding Innovation" category.

Unlike many other publications, Global Traveler awards are voted by readers, while Istanbul Airport's award category has been determined by publishers, editors, corporate advisory board and focus groups. The Global Traveler magazine determined award-winning brands with open-ended questions to its readers and direct email survey from Oct. 1, 2018 to Jan. 31, 2019.

Gökhan Şengül, corporate communications director at IGA, the Istanbul Airport's operator, participated in the event organized by Global Traveler and accepted the award on behalf of Istanbul Airport.

Şengül expressed great pleasure for bringing an international award to Turkey, saying, "Istanbul Airport has been awarded many times for its unique architecture, tower design and most importantly for its social responsibility projects. It is proud to win such a prestigious award by Global Traveler, one of the most widely read magazines in the U.S. On the other hand, winning an award in the innovation category proves the difference that our airport has made in this field. The fact that we have achieved this valuable award, which was granted to Singapore's Changi Airport last year, by outdoing many projects in the world, is an indication of how accurately we are doing our job. Istanbul Airport, Turkey's gateway to the world, will be deemed worthy of many awards in the coming period with its passenger experience and service approach."

Global Traveler, one of the most widely read magazines in the U.S., reaches approximately 300,000 readers a month. The magazine, which brings its readers together with premium cabins, airlines and accommodation services around the world, is also followed by CEOs, entrepreneurs and businessmen. The criteria for the category where Istanbul Airport has been awarded include innovation, environmental initiatives and leadership impact in community promotion.

Once all stages are completed, Istanbul Airport will be the world's biggest international airport, covering 76.5 million square meters. The "world's new hub" officially opened on Oct. 29, 2018, the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic.

It can handle 90 million passengers a year in the current phase of development, which, although a high figure, is nothing compared to its potential capacity to serve 200 million per year after the completion of all phases.