Istanbul Airport has set a new all-time high for daily passenger traffic at both the Turkish and European levels, a top official said Monday.
Türkiye's largest airport and one of the biggest civil aviation hubs in the world handled 289,732 passengers on Sunday, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said.
The hub thus "once again set a new all-time daily passenger record for both Türkiye and Europe," Uraloğlu said in a post on X.
"With the robust transportation infrastructure we have established, we are reinforcing Istanbul's position as a global aviation hub," he noted.
The figure renews the previous peak registered a week ago when Istanbul Airport served 289,260 passengers.
The gleaming glass-and-steel structure along the Black Sea coast turned into one of the most important transit centers in aviation since it became fully operational in April 2019.
The hub can handle 90 million passengers a year in the current phase. The figure is nothing compared to its potential capacity to serve 200 million after completing all phases.
Istanbul Airport served record-breaking 84.4 million passengers in 2025, making it the second-busiest airport in Europe after Heathrow Airport and the eighth-busiest worldwide. It seeks to reach the 90-million mark this year.
Across the city, Türkiye's second-largest airport also recorded its busiest day on record.
Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport handled 935 flights and 179,789 passengers on Sunday, its operator HEAŞ said Monday.
The previous record, set a week ago, stood at 919 flights and 174,325 passengers.
Sabiha Gökçen was Europe's fastest-growing aviation hub in the first half of 2026, according to ACI Europe.
HEAŞ General Manager Faruk Kacır said the new record highlighted the airport's operational capabilities and service quality.
"The historic record we achieved on Aug. 9 is the clearest indicator of our airport's operational capacity, commitment to seamless service and the confidence our passengers place in us," Kacır said.
He added that Sabiha Gökçen would continue to strengthen its contribution to Türkiye's transportation infrastructure and tourism sector while maintaining safe and uninterrupted operations.
