Istanbul Airport (IST) in Türkiye and Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport in Australia (SYD) have jointly announced a ‘Sister Airport Agreement’ between IST and SYD, which aims to increase passenger and cargo traffic between the two airports.

Istanbul and Sydney Airports Sign Agreement
Istanbul Airport, which offers flights to the highest number of destinations of any airport in the world, has signed a Sister Airport Agreement with Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport. As well as increasing traffic between the two destinations, the cooperation also aims to mutually enhance services and reciprocally promote destinations, as well as enable information sharing between Istanbul and Sydney Airports. During the agreement, the following will take place:
- Annual management meetings will be held, with workshops or seminars organised when needed.
 - Both sides will exchange non-commercially sensitive data and best practices to encourage knowledge sharing.
 - The development of new and additional air services will be promoted.
 - Joint marketing and promotional activities will be conducted to raise the visibility of Istanbul and Sydney as destinations.
 

Istanbul Airport Strengthens its Global Standing
Although the agreement is mutually beneficial, Istanbul Airport will be significantly benefitting from the new addition to its partnerships. The ties within the tourism and trade industries as well as cultural bonds will also be strengthened between the countries of Türkiye and Australia.
The new agreement has become the tenth in Istanbul Airport’s list of similar partnerships, following the Sister Airport Agreement signed with Chicago O’Hare International Airport (CDA) in the United States. Istanbul Airport has also established Sister Airport partnerships with Incheon International Airport (South Korea), Capital Airports Holding, Shanghai Airport Authority, and Sichuan Provincial Airport Group (China), Copenhagen Airport (Denmark), Airports of Thailand, and Airports Corporation of Vietnam.
Istanbul Airport currently serves 330 destinations with direct flights operated by more than 110 airlines, and has received the title of ‘Europe’s Most Connected Airport’ in 2023 and 2024.
Are you excited to see what this new partnership may bring for passengers? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
