Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport has been ranked as the fastest growing airport in the 'Major Airports' category by ACI Europe (Airports Council International Europe) for the first half of 2026, according to a report by the organization.
The airport, located on the Asian side of Istanbul and handling over 40 million passengers annually, recorded a 6.4% year-on-year increase in passenger traffic during the period.
Year-on-year passenger traffic growth at Sabiha Gökçen in H1 2026.
The growth rate significantly outpaced the overall European airport passenger traffic, which grew by 2.6% in the same period. It also exceeded the Turkey-wide average of 2.8%, as reported by ACI Europe.
According to the report, European airport traffic grew by 4.3% in the first quarter of 2026 and 1.3% in the second quarter. Domestic passenger traffic across Europe rose by 3%, while international traffic increased by 2.5%.
The next fastest growing major airports were Barcelona (4.4%), Madrid (4.2%), Istanbul Airport (1.6%), and Rome Fiumicino (0.3%). Sabiha Gökçen's operator, HEAŞ, announced the results citing the ACI Europe data.