Istanbul Airport is at the top of Europe's freight transport

Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu evaluated the 2024 aviation data of the Airports Council International.

Uraloğlu reported that Istanbul Airport will carry 1.97 million tons of cargo and freight transportation in 2024, making it the airport with the highest freight movement in Europe.

Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu evaluated the 2024 European air traffic data published by the Airports Council International (ACI EUROPE). Announcing that Istanbul Airport had earned the title of Europe's largest cargo airport, Minister Uraloğlu said, "Istanbul Airport has moved to the top of Europe, leaving Frankfurt, known as Europe's largest cargo airport, behind with 1.97 million tons of cargo movement."

Air cargo transportation in Europe grew by 13.2 percent

Minister Uraloğlu stated that air cargo transportation in Europe grew by 13.2 percent in 2024 compared to the previous year, and emphasized that Istanbul Airport will play a much bigger role globally in the coming years, saying, “Our airport grew by 39.6 percent in cargo transportation compared to the previous year. If this momentum continues, Istanbul Airport will be one of the most important centers not only in Europe but also in the world.”

Noting that Istanbul Airport has left behind the largest airports in Europe, Uraloğlu stated that Frankfurt Airport, which carries 1.95 million tons of cargo, is followed by Paris Charles de Gaulle with 1.87 million tons of cargo. Uraloğlu made the following statements in his statement:

“London Heathrow Airport came in fourth place with 1.53 million tons, while Amsterdam Schiphol Airport came in fifth place with 1.49 million tons of cargo. Leipzig/Halle Airport, which was in the top five in previous years, fell to sixth place with 1.38 million tons.”

Istanbul Airport became the fastest growing airport compared to the pre-pandemic period

Stating that Istanbul Airport is in the category of Majors Airports serving more than 40 million passengers annually, Uraloğlu said, “Our airport hosted 80.1 million passengers in 2024 and achieved a growth of 5.3 percent compared to 2023 data. When compared to 2019, the pre-pandemic period, it became the airport that achieved the highest growth among Major Airports with a growth of 16.9 percent.”