Achieving its goal of ‘100 Airlines’ on the 100th anniversary of the republic back in 2023, iGA Istanbul Airport has already reached its 2024 target of working with 110 airlines before the end of the year.
Greek-based airline Sky Express launched its first flight from the country’s capital, Athens, to Istanbul on November 12.
With a rapidly expanding network of destinations, iGA Istanbul Airport, which ranks among the top in the ‘most connected airports worldwide,’ has now reached a total of 110 airlines served, including Greece’s fastest-growing airline, Sky Express.
Round-trip flights between Athens and Istanbul, available seven days a week, began on November 12 with Sky Express’s inaugural landing in Istanbul at 9:30 a.m.
This special arrival ceremony was hosted by iGA Istanbul Airport CEO Selahattin Bilgen and attended by Sky Express Chairman of the Board, Ioannis Grylos.
At the ceremony, Bilgen made the following remarks:
We are proud to be the third airport in the world hosting the highest number of airlines. As iGA Istanbul Airport, we continue our goal of making Türkiye a global aviation hub. In the 100th year of our Republic, we aimed to reach 100 airlines served. We surpassed our goal of ‘100 airlines’ and closed 2023 with 101 airlines. In 2024, our goal was to increase the number of airlines we host to 110. With the addition of Sky Express, we achieved this target before the end of the year. This not only reflects our airport’s expanding flight network and connectivity but also showcases Türkiye’s increasingly powerful vision in the aviation sector to the world. The growth of global partnerships and trade further strengthens our country’s strategic significance each day.”
Daily flights between the cities will be operated with the 182-seat Airbus A320 Neo, and passengers will also have the opportunity to connect to Greek islands such as Mykonos, Santorini, Corfu, Kos, Paros, and Heraklion.