In this month's webinar, OAG Chief Analyst John Grant and Deirdre Fulton were joined by Angie Kocerka (Deputy Commissioner, Chicago Department of Aviation) to discuss which airports lead the world in connectivity and what is driving the shifts, following the live reveal of OAG's 2026 Megahubs rankings.
Key takeaways from the discussion:
Megahubs Rankings: Istanbul has risen to first place as the most connected global Megahub in 2026, serving 337 destinations in the 12 months to August 2026. With 80% of capacity in the hands of Turkish Airlines and the ability to operate three simultaneous runways, it leads on both airline coordination and infrastructure. Heathrow sits second but has no room to grow, and Amsterdam is constrained by an annual movements cap of 480,000.
Capacity Trends:Global capacity has been fairly flat compared to last year. In the Middle East, most European carriers have virtually closed all their operations, impacting capacity across the region. In the US, the loss of Spirit Airlines removed 3% of domestic market capacity. With industry fuel spend forecast to be $100 billion more than originally projected at the start of the year, the outlook for airlines and airports heading into winter remains cautious.
US Domestic Megahubs: Chicago O'Hare tops the US domestic Megahubs ranking, which uses a three-hour maximum connecting window. Having been first equal with Atlanta last year, Chicago has edged ahead in 2026. The airport serves 227 domestic destinations with nearly 84,000 potential connections on its busiest day. United Airlines holds the dominant position with 49% of total capacity, with a significant American Airlines presence alongside.
Middle East Dynamics: Riyadh and Jeddah are beginning to plateau in terms of growth, while Dubai and Doha continue to come back. Cairo's potential to position itself as a regional hub remains an open question, with the challenge of competing against established hubs and whether it can compete with the Ethiopian and Addis Ababa combination for African connectivity.
Low-Cost Carrier Megahubs: Kuala Lumpur tops the low-cost carrier Megahubs ranking, making it both the most connected Megahub in Asia and the number one low-cost carrier Megahub globally. Asia-Pacific airports dominate this category, with 16 of the top 25 located in Asia and 18 in Europe and the Middle East. Low-cost carrier penetration across the Asia-Pacific region now sits at around 60%.
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