Istanbul Airport has taken first place in OAG's Megahubs 2026 ranking of international airport connectivity, moving ahead of London Heathrow. The Turkish airport rose from second place in the previous year's table. Its network covered 337 destinations, while Turkish Airlines operated 80 per cent of its flights. The ranking measures how readily passengers can connect between international services.

OAG based its assessment on possible flight connections within a six-hour period on the busiest day of the year, August 2, 2026. It also considered the number of destinations served. Heathrow moved to second place after its potential connections declined 6 per cent from a year earlier. Amsterdam Schiphol completed the top three. Five of the ten highest-ranked airports were in Europe.

OAG chief analyst John Grant attributed Istanbul's result to the reach of Turkish Airlines and the airport's location between east and west. Selahattin Bilgen, chief executive of airport operator IGA, said planned expansion and the airline's network supported the achievement. Istanbul Airport became fully operational in April 2019. Its present annual capacity is 90 million passengers, with capacity expected to reach 200 million when all development phases are complete.

The airport handled a record 84.4 million passengers in 2025 and aims to reach 90 million in 2026. Kuala Lumpur retained fourth place globally and remained Asia's most connected airport, serving 154 destinations. It also led OAG's low-cost carrier megahub ranking, with nearly 15,000 possible connections. Chicago O'Hare rose to fifth globally, with potential connections increasing 9.8 per cent and its destination count rising from 297 to 308.