The ranking of the best airports in 2026: many European airports among the top positions

Frequent travellers know that the convenience of travelling by air does not depend solely on the aircraft itself. The difference is also made by the airport, including its services, waiting times, queues and distance from the city centre.

There is also the number of flights and airlines operating from the airport to consider, as well as whether it closes overnight.

Based on all these criteria, the independent ranking by the Consumer Choice Center has crowned the 35 best airports of 2026.

The ranking divides airports into two groups: small airports, handling fewer than 47.2 million passengers a year, and large airports, where the annual passenger number is higher.

The airports at the bottom of the ranking

Air travel is particularly convenient because of its speed. For this reason, it becomes frustrating when the airport is a long way from the city centre and there is a lack of public transport or even a shortage of taxis.

If, on top of all this, security checks are slow and there is also a high percentage of delayed flights, a business trip or holiday can become something of a nightmare.

At the bottom of the World Consumer ranking are airports that have one or more of these shortcomings, but with one important qualification: all of these airports are nevertheless among the top 35 in the world.

Among the large airports towards the bottom of the ranking are Frankfurt, Guangzhou Baiyun and Seattle-Tacoma.

Among the smaller airports, the final three are London Stansted, Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic and Seoul Gimpo.

The best small airports of 2026

Those arriving at or departing from smaller airports in the Old Continent are often fortunate. Europe features heavily in the 2026 ranking of the best airports in the world, particularly when it comes to smaller airports.

Copenhagen Airport in Denmark is in third place thanks to its convenient location in relation to the city centre, its connections and the number of flights departing from and arriving at the airport.

In second place is Zurich Airport in Switzerland, for similar reasons. In previous editions of the ranking, this airport also achieved excellent results for services and infrastructure.

In first place is Düsseldorf Airport in Germany, which also takes the title of the best airport overall, despite not being among the largest.

What makes travelling through this airport particularly hassle-free are the internal routes, which are quick and straightforward, virtually no waiting time for check-in and security checks, and its extensive network of connections.

The top 10 small airports is almost entirely European, with just one airport located outside the continent: Vancouver International Airport, in eighth place.

The best large airports in the world

Los Angeles International Airport takes third place in the world among airports handling more than 47.2 million passengers a year. One of the main gateways to the United States boasts an impressive network of connections, with infrastructure capable of handling a huge flow of passengers.

In second place, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, is Rome Fiumicino Airport, which rises by nine places compared with the previous year thanks to an overall improvement across all areas.

The best airport in the world, meanwhile, is in Spain.

The other three major European airports in the top 10 are Paris Charles de Gaulle, London Heathrow and Madrid-Barajas, in fifth, seventh and eighth place respectively.