Istanbul airport takes Europe’s top cargo hub

Istanbul Airport has overtaken Frankfurt to become Europe’s busiest cargo airport in the first half of 2026, as disruptions linked to the Iran war redirected freight through alternative hubs.

Istanbul Airport has overtaken Frankfurt to become Europe’s busiest cargo airport in the first half of 2026, as disruptions linked to the Iran war redirected freight through alternative hubs.

According to Airports Council International (ACI) Europe data, Istanbul handled just over 1 million tons of cargo during the January-June period, marking a 10.8 percent increase from a year earlier.

The Turkish airport benefited from cargo shifting away from major Middle Eastern hubs amid regional instability. Turkish Airlines, Istanbul Airport’s key carrier, also recorded an 11.3 percent rise in cargo volumes, while its cargo revenue jumped 58 percent to nearly USD 1.3 billion.

Frankfurt Airport dropped to second place, handling 980,731 tons, up 1.3 percent year on year. Operator Fraport attributed the slower growth partly to weak economic conditions in the eurozone, a six-day Lufthansa strike in April and the grounding of Lufthansa Cargo’s Airbus A321 freighters.