What does it take to create an award-winning airport? At Passenger Terminal Expo 2024 at Messe Frankfurt, Germany, hundreds of airport executives, technological experts and airline partners thronged to the stage of the international Skytrax awards – all eager to discover the answer to this question. The 2024 international Skytrax award winners speak to Passenger Terminal World to reveal exactly what put them on top and how they plan to keep their titles next time around.
For Jim Parashos, chief of aviation at Australia’s Melbourne Airport, the answer is simple. “Something we often talk about internally is the importance of relentless prioritization,” he says. “It’s easy to get distracted from our core function as an airport – adding value for our airlines, travelers, shareholders and the city of Melbourne. For example, our data highlighted how important baggage and wayfinding are to our passengers right now, so we recently introduced digital wayfinding maps that guide travelers through the terminal and let them pre-plan their trip on their mobiles. We’re also considering a solution that provides estimated baggage wait times.”
“Being an award-winning airport is not a singular achievement, but rather the culmination of years of strategic planning, innovative thinking and a relentless focus on customer satisfaction,” agrees Server Aydin, chief of digital services and commercial officer at iGA Istanbul Airport. “From the moment travelers enter the terminal to the time they board their flight, every touchpoint must be meticulously designed and executed. It’s not enough to excel in just one area; you must consider how each part of the journey contributes to the overall experience.”
The results are hard to argue with. Melbourne Airport, and its team of 18,000 people, won the Best Airport in Australia & Pacific for the second year in a row at the 2024 awards. Similarly, iGA Istanbul was awarded in two areas – World’s Best Airport Dining Experience and the Best Airport in Southern Europe.
Artistic flair
Another defending champion from the 2024 Skytrax awards was Vancouver International Airport, which was named Best Airport in North America once again. To wow the 24.9 million passengers that passed through its doors in 2023, the airport sought to create a distinct sense of place. It looked to artwork that could highlight its cultural heritage and the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Musqueam people.
One particularly show-stopping initiative was a 30ft (9m) oceangoing canoe, which was handcrafted by Musqueam master carvers. Created in August 2023, the canoe became the centerpiece of the first dedicated space in an airport terminal that was dedicated to Musqueam culture and history.
The Houston Airport System also found the artistic route yielded impressive results. It welcomed a record 60.1 million passengers in 2024 and won the Best Art in an Airport award for the second year in a row. On top of this, one of its airports, William P. Hobby Airport, was declared the Best Regional Airport in North America for a third consecutive year.
Liliana Rambo, chief terminal management and administration officer at Houston Airports, reveals, “Our Artist in Residence program, live musical performances, art galleries and memorable Art Ambassador program provide passengers with an immersive cultural experience that sets us apart. To ensure this, Houston Airports hired an art curator with deep knowledge of the art world and the local art community, enabling us to create a program that genuinely represents Houston. We’ve now curated an award-winning art collection, commissioning 10 new pieces during the global pandemic.”
Even with William P. Hobby Airport’s smaller budget, the organization’s tenacious approach and human focus dominated its competition. “With limited resources, we had to be exceptionally strategic, ensuring that every dollar invested was maximized for impact,” Rambo continues. “We’ve invested in cultivating our customer service team – hiring more staff and developing and implementing a detailed training program – which supports extended hours and additional employees for essential services such as Lost and Found and Custodial. This investment in personnel results from a carefully budgeted, multi-year plan and ensures that, even in challenging situations, we can turn a negative experience into a positive one.”
Staff excellence
One airport uniquely positioned to advise on how to deliver this ever-important customer service is El Dorado International in Bogota, Colombia, which was not only voted the Best Airport in South America once again at the 2024 Skytrax awards, but was also recognized for having the Best Airport Staff in South America. To achieve these staff accolades, the airport established a training program called the School of Service. This initiative was based on the motto ‘Uno Contigo’, which means ‘together with you’. The school offers a variety of modules, equipping the team with a range of service tools. However, for this airport, delivering the best staff service is all about smoothing the passenger journey in as many ways as possible.
For example, in 2024 the airport developed an artificial intelligence bot called DoraBot. This assistant not only provides real-time flight information but also continuously monitors and sends relevant notifications while assisting passengers in locating services and checking wait times at various airport processes. Alongside freeing up airport staff for more complex and delicate customer service, the AI-powered solution continuously learns from user interactions, resulting in optimized and personalized responses over time.
“A poor customer service experience can spoil the entire user journey,” explains Victor Sánchez Messier, service and experience director of El Dorado International. “We created our award-winning airports by thoroughly mapping the traveler’s journey to gain a deeper understanding of our users and proactively pinpoint any potential issues. Through this extensive process, we directed our focus toward areas that required improvement. Subsequently, this analysis enabled us to identify significant projects, such as the renaming of piers and boarding gates, and the modernization of the terminal’s wayfinding system.”
Alongside the AI-powered chatbot, the airport also expanded seating areas, upgraded flight displays, introduced automated boarding piers access, improved waiting areas, incorporated new retail and dining options, established new baby care and pet relief zones and refreshed food court names.
Maximum security
Commitment to innovation is exactly what landed Rome Fiumicino Airport its first World’s Best Airport Security Processing award. In 2022, the airport built an Innovation Hub inside Terminal 1. Since then, it has launched a yearly Call for Startups – now in its third edition – to select the best worldwide startups that can contribute to improving the quality of service and security. Since its inception, the program has attracted almost 1,000 startups from around the world, with 60% of applicants coming from abroad.
In the 2024 edition alone, the airport received 716 applications from 389 startups. Ivan Bassato, chief aviation officer at Rome Fiumicino’s operating company Aeroporti di Roma (ADR), remarks, “Thanks to these startups, in which we also invest through ADR Ventures, we’re shaping the standards of the airport of the future. This program is uniquely designed to nurture startups that address the operational and sustainability challenges faced by airports because we need to anticipate trends and quickly test the most promising emerging technologies. After an eight-month pilot, startups have the chance to fully deploy their solutions inside our airports.”
One of these investments was the QPass, a free service that enables passengers to book an appointment at the security checkpoints to benefit from a dedicated entrance and route. Through this system, passengers can organize their time in advance before their flight, pass through security checks and thus have more dwell time for themselves before boarding.
Another decisive factor in the airport’s win was its installation of the C3 standard explosive detection system hand baggage screening equipment. The new-generation EDS C3 scanners by Smiths Detection in Terminals 1 and 3 enable all passengers – except those flying to Israel or the USA – to leave liquids and electrical/electronic devices in their hand luggage, instead of having to remove them before passing through security – which is sure to be a winner among passengers around the world.
Know your audience
When asked about the most important factor to becoming a fan favorite, most award winners cited the importance of analyzing the profiles of their passenger traffic. After picking up Hamad International’s award for World’s Best Airport, Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, Group CEO of Qatar Airways, said, “Understanding passengers’ needs and evolving travel trends is so important. At the heart of our growth strategy lies the passengers’ journey, their evolving needs, and our commitment to meeting and exceeding their expectations. We have introduced a diverse range of experiences at the airport, including: Souq Al Matar [airport market], which brings Qatari hospitality and culture closer to travelers; Orchard, the ideal place for relaxation and rejuvenation between flights; and an array of high-end lounges. We remain dedicated to pushing the boundaries of the industry to maintain our position as the world’s premier airport.”
In particular, attention to an airport’s geography is a key consideration in understanding both its passenger market and competitive context. “[Johannesburg’s] OR Tambo International (ORTIA) is the biggest airport in Africa, but because of its geographical location, it is far from most global destinations,” says Jabulani Khambule, regional general manager of ORTIA, Skytrax’s third Best Airport in Africa. “Despite this challenge, ORTIA remains the preferred gateway into Africa for most airlines.”
“Cape Town International, on the other hand, is slightly smaller and more agile,” says Mark Maclean, regional general manager of CTIA, the Skytrax Best Airport in Africa award winner for the ninth consecutive year. “That’s why we must be bold, while balancing service and cost, to remain sustainable and promote passenger growth. For this, infrastructure development is crucial. For example, our current capital investment program includes major refurbishment projects, terminal upgrades and a new realigned runway. Going ahead with this refurbishment means ensuring that passenger tariffs and landing fees remain at a reasonable level so that airlines are profitable and ticket prices are affordable. An airport must always operate in a manner that keeps the cost of travel down while maintaining impeccable standards and being fully supportive of shareholder objectives.”
At Australia’s Melbourne Airport, developing a more detailed understanding of its passengers brought tangible results to several departments. The airport found that approximately 50% of its travelers were tourists who had to check out of their hotel at 2pm – regardless of their flight times. As a result, these passengers were waiting hours for check-in counters to open to get airside. To address this, the airport decided to try opening manual early check-in facilities six hours prior to departure times, which reduced peaks through security screening and immigration and paved the way for the airport’s new baggage system – which will have an early bag storage capacity for 1,400 passengers when completed in 2026 – to be used to its full potential. And importantly, travelers could get through to the airport’s entertainment offerings, which of course, fed into its non-aeronautical revenue as well as its passenger experience ratings.
Similarly, in response to Canada’s aging population, Vancouver International implemented several accessibility-focused technology programs as part of its three-year accessibility plan, Beyond Accessibility. Initially, these included the curbside greeting program, the travel rehearsal program and also the inclusion of sign language on information boards. However, the airport’s holistic approach to universal design took it a step further.
“We launched new technologies to equip our teams with real-time data and put more control in the hands of travelers,” comments Alyssa Smith, manager of communications at Vancouver Airport Authority. “Tools like the Passenger Journey Tool, YVR TimeLine for flight tracking and Mobile Passport Control streamline the travel process. Additionally, in 2023 we also expanded the airport’s Digital Twin to incorporate the entire airfield, enabling data-driven decision-making and collaboration that has never been available to such an extent before. New innovations like this drive an enhanced experience.”
Defending titles
Looking to the future, these award winners plan to hold on to their titles through a variety of futureproofed investments. El Dorado International, for one, plans to refine its wayfinding systems and increase amenities to ensure comfort and convenience for all passengers while battling the congestion that stems from its rapid growth of air traffic. It is also looking into creating more lounges and parking spaces and personalized, premium services that could integrate with these facilities, such as exclusive lounges and concierge services.
Melbourne Airport has just received approval for a third runway, which is planned to be operational by 2031. The airport has also kicked off discussions with all its airline partners around future terminal developments and is hopeful that within the next 12 months it will be able to make some significant announcements on terminal expansions over the next five to six years.
For those looking to join these esteemed ranks, Houston Airports’ Rambo advises, “If you want to impress your passengers, survey them, develop a solid plan and then get to work. Even minor improvements can have a significant impact. Ensure your plan has the full buy-in of your entire organization, is well funded, and that your team stays committed to executing it with precision – especially during cycles of both adversity and good luck.”
This article originally appeared in the 2025 Annual Showcase issue of Passenger Terminal World. To view the magazine in full, click here.
