INTERNATIONAL. Analyst OAG says Istanbul Atatürk Airport is the fastest growing “˜megahub’ airport globally, with four times the number of connections on its busiest day in 2015 than it had five years ago.
This increase translates to more than 100,000 connections but is only enough to put the airport in 29th position in OAG’s “˜Top 50 Megahub Index’. Eight of the top ten positions are filled by US airports, with Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International leading the way. Domestic transfers are largely dominant in these airports though so they offer less opportunity for duty free and travel retail operators than do more internationally-connected airports.
Of such airports, Dubai International, Mexico City International, Singapore Changi and Istanbul’s other airport, Sabiha Gökçen International, all feature in the top ten fastest growing list. Shanghai Pudong and Kunming International are also in the top ten, but again domestic connections are dominant in these two airports.
London Heathrow Airport is the largest “˜megahub’ in Europe, and is ranked 13th in the overall list. OAG said its index showed that the combined power of London Heathrow, London Gatwick and London Stansted airports, “with their collective connectivity for self-connecting passengers travelling between low-cost carriers”, rivalled major US hubs such as Chicago O’Hare and Chicago Midway International Airports.
However, with construction underway of a major new airport, OAG said Istanbul is likely to soon enter the top 10 list “and will certainly usurp London Heathrow in Europe”.
OAG Senior Analyst John Grant said: “The importance of well-connected megahubs continues to increase alongside the need for efficient handling of ever-increasing capacity. We expect the megahub model will become even more prevalent as major cities add more runways and airport infrastructure to accommodate the increased capacity. These hubs are critical to global airline efficiency and play an essential role in providing travellers with more options for reaching their final destinations.”
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OAG’s top ten list of fastest-growing megahub airports in the world |
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