From the archive record
Star Alliance is the world's first and largest global airline alliance, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany and led by current CEO Mark Schwab. Founded in 1997, its name and emblem represent the five founding airlines, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International, Air Canada, Lufthansa, and United Airlines. Star Alliance has since grown considerably and now has 28 member airlines with more than 21,100 daily departures combined. These flights reach 1,329 airports in more than 150 countries, with an annual passenger number of 678.5 million. Istanbul has two international airports, the larger of which is Istanbul Atatürk. Atatürk International Airport (IST) at Yeşilyurt, located 24 kilometers (15 mi) west of the Sultanahmet Square, is the busiest of Turkey's major airports and ha