ACCORDING

to the Airport Council International (ACI) report, the number of passengers of EU countries surged by 7.7 per cent against 11.4 per cent rise in non EU countries. The report unveils that the European airlines industry grew by 8.5 per cent, achieving thus the highest rise in the past 13 years. The airports in Turkey marked ACI report covering the figures related to 500 airports in 42 European countries for December 2017, last quarter, second half year and year-end.

In December 2017, the Atatürk Airport increased the number of passengers by 15.9 per cent and thus, being the highest growing airport of Europe. Among the airports with a capacity of 10-25 million passengers, Esenboğa Airport increased the number of passengers by 28 percent and thus, took the top rank with the highest increase; Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport took the spot no.3 with 17.7per cent increase.

EUROPE’S 5TH BIGGEST AIRPORT IN 2017

According to ACI’s year-end report for 2017, the Atatürk Airport increased the number of passengers by 5.9 per cent to 63.7 million on yearly basis and became the 5th biggest airport of Europe. And Sabiha Gökçen Airport is ranked among the airports within the category of more than 25 million passengers thanks to achieving a record growth of 105.2 per cent. Antalya Airport increasing the number of passengers by 38 per cent in 2017, is the most developing airport within its category. Esenboğa Airport took the 3rd spot with 20.6 per cent growth in the same category.

Furthermore, Atatürk Airport on the 13th rank in hub connection in 2007, jumped nine ranks in 10 years and took the fourth spot in Europe. It’s the highest growing hub of Europe with 591 per cent growth.

It hosted 489.6 million passengers in 10 years

According to the data of the General Directorate of State Airports Authority, the Istanbul Atatürk Airport hosted 489.6 million passengers in the past 10 years. Thus, the Atatürk Airport outpacing the populations of several countries and hosting 23 million 196 thousand passengers in 2007, saw this number to rise to 63.7 million in 2017.