Fly Porto-Istanbul and enjoy the best of both cities

Forget about size. What matters today is influence. Abiding by this statement, it is only logical to begin this article by saying that facts and figures show that air transport is not only fundamental to building a global society, but also essential for social progress and economic prosperity.

As such, Porto relies in its airport - Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport - to boost the economy of the region and to establish itself as one of the most sought-out destinations for entrepreneurs, students, visitors and tourists from cities from all around the globe.

Communication systems and transport infrastructure are significant sectors towards boosting the global importance of a city. And airports, recognized for their ability to multiply business activity in their proximity and stimulate further development, are fundamental to promoting development.

In recent years, the city has experienced something contrary to inertia: after a period of slowly fading to economic drain and local residents fleeing to the suburbs, now the entire city, not only downtown, is slowly, but steadily resuming evermore sustained economic growth.

Porto, the magical city according to BBC, is reinventing itself; historic crossroads of culture and design come to life, by rehabilitating and reviving cultural building landmarks to the city like cinema Batalha, one of the most important icons for the cultural memory of the city.

Porto., the news on paper about the city of Porto, has inaugurated a new column devoted to "visiting" cities that are now closer to Porto.

Instanbul is one of those cities. The city is impressive from many angles: the Blue Mosque or Hagia Sophia, the Byzantine dome and colored mosaics, and the Ottoman minarets and Islamic calligraphy.

Turskish Airlines is establishing Istanbul-Porto routes. It is also the largest hub for connecting Europe to Asia. It is clearly an indication that Porto is becoming increasingly important as a direct destination in Europe.

In 2010, Istanbul, historically known as Constantinople and Byzantium, was named European Capital of Culture, making the city the world's fifth most popular tourist destination.

It's a place where the history of Europe and Asia play side by side, and the twilight hour is waiting for you at the banks of the Bosphorus, between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea.

Turkish Airlines started flying to Porto in April 2015, and the Chairman of the Company, llker Ayci also announced that the company is betting on the new airport to be built in Istanbul, thus strengthening the position of one of the most important international hubs in Europe. The official says that Istanbul rivals at this point with London and Paris.

Turkish Airlines will therefore continue to connect Porto to the East, through Istanbul, as the airline flies to destinations worldwide. Seychelles, Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar, Pucket, Caracas and Panama are among the new destinations announced by llker Ayci outside the European continent.

The impact of the attempted coup of July 15 and of the terrorist attacks have decreased the number of tourists but as time goes by normality kicks in and society is determined to continue as a global city relying on its ethnic diversity to pool Istanbul as one of the fastest-growing metropolitan economies in the world.

Fly Istanbul from Porto. More information here.