iGA Istanbul Airport's Journey 

iGA was established on October 7, 2013 by the Cengiz – MAPA – Limak – Kolin – Kalyon Joint Venture Group, with the goal of building a new airport in Istanbul—one of the world’s most developed cities and a cradle of many ancient civilizations—designed to meet the needs of the modern era. As Türkiye’s largest infrastructure investment to date, iGA Istanbul Airport was completed and opened for service in a record time of just 42 months. As of April 2022, iGA’s ownership structure consists of 55% Kalyon Holding and 45% Cengiz Holding.

Thanks to its geopolitical location, iGA Istanbul Airport serves as a global aviation hub, offering service to passengers within a terminal building of 1.4 million square meters under a single roof, with an annual passenger capacity of 90 million. The main terminal building includes three independent runways, two secondary runways, an air traffic control tower, and various support facilities. When operating at full capacity, the airport will serve 200 million passengers annually with flights to over 350 destinations.

As of January 2024, iGA Istanbul Airport can operate flights to 321 destinations, hosting over 250 million passengers annually and ranking among the world's busiest airports. In 2024, a total of 517,284 flights carried 80.71 million passengers, 63 million of whom were on international flights and 17 million on domestic ones. With flights to 321 destinations, the airport has successfully maintained its title as “the airport with the most global connections in the world.”

As one of Türkiye’s largest global-scale projects—not just for Istanbul or Türkiye, but for the region and the world—iGA Istanbul Airport continues to significantly contribute to the economy through employment opportunities generated as first phase of the project is completed. To objectively and independently evaluate iGA Istanbul Airport’s contribution to Türkiye’s economy, the independent think tank Future Today Institute (FTI), represented in Türkiye, conducted a joint study with Istanbul Economics Consultancy. According to the study: In 2023, iGA’s direct and indirect contribution to the Turkish economy reached 24.2 billion dollars, accounting for 2.2% of the national income. This contribution is projected to reach 3.25% by 2030, with employment expected to rise to 472,000 people. Additionally, iGA supports tens of thousands of jobs across its ecosystem. With its “Right Person for the Right Job” philosophy, iGA never compromises on its principle of equality and inclusivity, and through its competent and well-equipped staff, it continues to invest in human resources. As a result, it has earned a strong reputation in the global aviation sector.