Geopolitics, Capacity, and Connectivity: The Story Behind Megahubs 2026

The aviation industry is increasingly being impacted by various geopolitical events around the globe as airlines adjust their networks in response to airspace closures, market demand, and consumer confidence in connecting through some parts of the world. This year’s OAG Megahubs report reflects the market disruption that we have seen in the last year across many markets with, as always, some winners and losers in the results.

Istanbul Airport (IST) is certainly a winner, taking pole position in the global ranking and rising above London Heathrow (LHR) for the first time. The range of connectivity depth at Istanbul improves year-on-year with Turkish Airlines continually expanding their network – increasing both destinations and frequencies served from the airport.

Underpinning the growth at Istanbul is the airport’s available capacity. Istanbul is the only facility in Europe capable of handling simultaneous operations across three runways. The available capacity at Istanbul highlights London Heathrow's issue of operating an airport at very close to maximum capacity. And while there is a very long list of airlines and destinations that could be added to the Heathrow network, the absence of a third runway really is impacting the airport's global position.

Slipping down the Megahub rankings are the major Middle East hubs where airline capacity remains around 20% below last year’s levels and subsequently impacts potential connectivity. As locally based airlines continue to rebuild their capacity and overseas carriers slowly return to the market, this year’s slip in rankings is likely to be recovered in the next year as normal service in the region is resumed.

The rebuild of the AirAsia network is a major factor in Kuala Lumpur (KUL) securing 4^th spot in the global rankings. With a balance of domestic and short-haul international network growth, the impact on connectivity is significant, consolidating the airports position in the global top five.

China continues to see its airports improving their rankings with Baiyun International (CAN) the largest absolute mover in the top fifty airports - with a move of seventeen places up to 19^th place this year - as the range of international services and connectivity grows. Shanghai Pudong (PVG) remains the most connected airport in China, gaining five places on last year to secure 14^th position.

While most airports ranking in the Megahubs are built around a combination of both domestic and international destinations this is not quite the case in North America and specifically in the United States where domestic connectivity through various hubs is the dominant feature. Chicago O’Hare has continued to improve its position and now ranks 5^th in the global ranking (moving up from 7^th last year) while Atlanta has slipped slightly backwards to 10^th place (dropping from 8^th last year).

Above all else the OAG Megahubs results this year highlight the levels of competition in the global market and that those airports with capacity to grow are in many cases catching up with their established peers. Next year’s results will inevitably be different and hopefully reflect a less geopolitically nuanced set of results. If that is the case, then only time will tell.