Every year - with the exception of the pandemic years 2020 and 2021 - Airhelp, an airline passenger rights organization, publishes the AirHelp Score. The best airport in the world this year with 8,54 out of ten possible points is Muscat International Airport in Oman. The top 10 airports are exclusively in Oman, Brazil, South Africa, Qatar and Japan. Germany appears for the first time with Dortmund Airport at number 41.

The rating of international airports is based on punctuality, customer opinions and the range of food and shops. Muscat International Airport achieved the highest AirHelp Score with its overall score of 8,54 points. Recife Airport in the Brazilian city of the same name remains in second place with an overall rating of 8,49 points. Close behind, Cape Town International Airport in South Africa secured third place with 8,48 points. Three other airports in Brazil, three in Japan and one airport in Qatar received top ratings. The best-rated airport in 2022, Tokyo Haneda, fell a full 13 places in the international rankings and ended up in 14th place.

The worst airports in the world are in Indonesia, Malta and the UK

The world's worst airports are Banjarmasin Syamsudin Noor Airport in the Indonesian city of Banjarmasin and Malta International Airport. In the overall ranking, both airports achieved a score of 6,39 points. The two capital city airports London Gatwick Airport and Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport performed only slightly better, receiving 6,43 and 6,48 points respectively. Of the 20 worst airports in the world, 14 are in European cities, three of which are in the UK. With 6,86 points, Frankfurt International Airport is ranked 20th among the worst airports in the world.

Flights take off and land most punctually in Japan, Brazil and South Africa

When it comes to punctuality, Japan's Osaka Itami International Airport emerged as the winner with 8,7 points. Second place is shared by Brasília-Presidente Juscelino Kubitschek International Airport and Cape Town International Airport. In third place are two other Brazilian and one Japanese airports with 8,5 points. The world's least punctual airports are Banjarmasin Syamsudin Noor International Airport (5,2 points), Denpasar International Airport (5,5 points) and London Gatwick Airport (5,5 points).

Travelers are most satisfied with Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport in Estonia

As part of the AirHelp Score, AirHelp surveyed more than 15.800 air travelers in 58 countries about their experiences at airports. Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport received the best ratings with 8,9 points. Seoul—Incheon International Airport and Muscat International Airport follow closely behind with 8,8 and 8,7 points, respectively. When it comes to customer satisfaction, the US Newark Liberty Airport takes last place (6,6 points). This is followed by Philadelphia International Airport (6,7 points) and four other airports from Albania, Bulgaria, Italy and Pakistan (6,8 points).

Dubai and Seoul airports have the best range of restaurants and shops

Travelers should also rate the shops and restaurants at the airports they visit. According to the survey, the best options are at Dubai International Airport and Seoul—Incheon International Airport. Both airports received nine points in the category. The AirHelp Score overall winner from Muscat takes second place with 8,9 points. In third place are Tokyo Haneda International Airport and Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport with 8,8 points. The worst restaurant offering is at Ponta Delgada João Paulo II Airport in Portugal (5,8 points), closely followed by Sofia Airport in Bulgaria with 6,1 points and Split Airport in Croatia (6,2 points).

“Collecting data about airlines, airports and the experiences of holidaymakers and business travelers helps us to inform international passengers about their rights and to provide them with legal assistance if they have problems. Our AirHelp Score gives travelers the opportunity to find out about destinations, airlines, delays, cancellations and overbooking before their trip and helps them make informed decisions,” explains Tomasz Pawliszyn, CEO of AirHelp.