Istanbul Airport has been recognized as 'The Most Efficient Airport in Europe with over 40 million passengers annually' by the world's leading aviation researchers at the Air Transport Research Association (ATRS).

Istanbul Airport, the world's largest airport, and built in a record-breaking 42 months, has the capacity to accommodate 90 million passengers annually and serves as the region's most significant global hub. With its robust infrastructure, efficient operations, advanced technology, and premium travel experience, the airport continues to garner accolades from esteemed organizations within the aviation sector.

Operating under the auspices of the World Conference on Transport Research (WCTRS), the Air Transport Research Society (ATRS) has selected Istanbul Airport as the 'Most Efficient Airport in Europe in the over 40 million passengers per year" category. Istanbul Airport has achieved top scores in the research criteria, where aspects such as management strategies, efficiency, capacity, operational effectiveness, unit costs, and cost competitiveness of airport operations and performance measurements were thoroughly assessed.

The efficiency policies have been recognized...

From the world's leading aviation experts, researchers from the Air Transport Research Society (ATRS) hosted the Annual Global Airport Performance Benchmarking Project at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida, USA. The project was guided by a team of 16 individuals, including prominent academics from Asia Pacific, Europe, and North America. Airports selected for awards within the scope of the project were determined based on their competency ranking in their respective regions and size categories, as measured by the Residual Variable Factor Productivity (R-VFP) Index.

The winning airports were announced at the 24th ATRS World Conference, held virtually from August 26-29, 2021, in conjunction with the ATRS airport benchmarking report, which provides an overview of global airport efficiency. The conference saw wide participation from various sectors of the aviation industry, including airline companies, airports, air traffic control and aerospace managers, bureaucrats, consultants, and academics.

Commenting on Istanbul Airport's recognition as the 'Most Efficient Airport in Europe,' Fırat Emsen, Chief Technical Officer, remarked, "Each award we receive holds significant value, as it demonstrates that our accomplishments are highly regarded in the international arena. The world's leading aviation researchers have commended our smooth operations and our efficiency policies during the 2019 transition from Istanbul Atatürk Airport to iGA Istanbul Airport, which took just 33 hours and resulted in a seamless opening of our facilities without disruption to our airlines. Thanks to our skilled teams, we have consistently implemented efficiency policies, which were initiated during the construction phase of Istanbul Airport and continued throughout the operational phase at every stage of our business. At Istanbul Airport, where world-class customer experience, innovation, technology, digitalization, system and operation integrations, and swift decision-making processes are prioritized, the result is a seamlessly functioning system that exemplifies our commitment to efficiency. Istanbul Airport will continue to execute successful and award-winning initiatives.

What is the Air Transport Research Society (ATRS)?

Established in 1995, the Air Transport Research Society (ATRS) serves as the special interest group for the World Conference on Transport Research. The Society's Board of Directors comprises esteemed scientists from various universities, led by Martin Dresner, a professor at the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business. ATRS is headquartered at the University of British Columbia (UBC) Sauder School of Business in Vancouver, Canada. The comprehensive report prepared by ATRS provides performance measurement and benchmarking of many crucial aspects of airport operations, including efficiency, adequacy, unit cost, unit competitiveness, financial outcomes, and airport fees. The report also reviews management strategies and the correlation between various performance metrics and airport features, aiming to enhance understanding of the observed disparities in airport performance.