Worst Airports in the World, Ranked
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When AirHelp announced its ranking of 132 airports across the world, Hamad International Airport in Qatar, Haneda Airport in Tokyo and Athens International Airport were given reason to celebrate. The top three airports on the list all earned praise for their friendly service, timeliness and clean, modern amenities.
Unfortunately, not every airport came out looking so good.
The following 30 worst airports earned the lowest marks, based on data assessing on-time performance, public reviews of quality of service and passenger sentiment on social media. Suffice to say, these airports have provided passengers plenty to complain about, even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Keep them in mind for when a brighter future makes it easier to travel freely.
30. Frankfurt International Airport
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On-time performance: 6.2
Quality of service: 8.3
Passenger sentiment: 3
Total: 6.91
*Note: Scores and rankings are based on the Global Airport Rankings from AirHelp.
Bottom Line: Frankfurt International Airport
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If you're visiting Germany, chances are good that you're flying into Frankfurt International Airport. If your goal is to shop for items that you can buy online for half the price, you'll love it.
There's a Birkenstock shop, along with several restaurants and even some designer clothing stores. The service, however, is lacking.
One reviewer said, "Worst Airport I have arrived and departed from. Only a few hand disinfecting stations. Hardly any food shops or places to buy drinks. Staff are less than average friendly and helpful. Going through to the gates it gets worse, crowded not very clean."
29. Hong Kong International Airport
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On-time performance: 6.2
Quality of service: 7.8
Passenger sentiment: 6
Total: 6.91
Bottom Line: Hong Kong International Airport
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Flying into one of Japan's biggest cities, you'd think the airport would be in perfect working order. The website for Hong Kong Airport claims it's "where amazing journeys begin," but reviewers disagreed. Most claimed the service was poor and the amenities were severely lacking.
To sum it up, one reviewer stated, "Arriving flight was Virgin Atlantic and had to wait more than 10 hours for Hong Kong Airlines flight to Manila. Ambience was terrible, the staff looked somber and not happy. The vetting of each passenger was long and completely inefficient. No facility for buying a cup of tea or coffee was available."
28. Brussels Airport
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On-time performance: 6.2
Quality of service: 7.8
Passenger sentiment: 4
Total: 6.84
Bottom Line: Brussels Airport
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Brussels Airport is located on the outskirts of the capital city in Zaventem. There's a second airport in Brussels located farther from the city center, but Zaventem is much more highly trafficked.
Despite the airport's popularity, they haven't seemed to work out their baggage management operation. One reviewer even stated, "Worst airport for baggage handling. All the times I have transited through Brussels Airport, the luggage never arrives at my destination, always stays behind. Last time, it rained in the Loft business lounge and they evacuated it. Staff at the gate are the most unhelpful and arrogant of all the airports I know."
27. Bogota El Dorado International Airport
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On-time performance: 5.6
Quality of service: 8.6
Passenger sentiment: 4
Total: 6.82
Bottom Line: Bogota El Dorado International Airport
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Bogota Airport, also known as El Dorado International Airport, is the largest airport in Latin America as far as cargo goes, and the fifth largest in terms of passengers. It's the primary flight hub for both Avianca and Copa Airlines, and it's the main airport for the country of Colombia.
Sadly, its efficiency is sorely in need of an upgrade.
As one reviewer put it, "Bogota airport is modern, clean, safe but RIDICULOUSLY inefficient. The third busiest airport in Latin America, the biggest hub for Avianca should have more than 9 agents to check in baggage. Repeatedly the agents were seen texting on their cell phones instead of attending to passengers. It took over 90 minutes to check in despite it not being a peak hour."
26. Düsseldorf International Airport
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On-time performance: 6.1
Quality of service: 7.7
Passenger sentiment: 4
Total: 6.79
Bottom Line: Düsseldorf International Airport
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Dusseldorf Airport, Germany's third-largest serving the biggest metropolitan area in the country, is often frequented by business people on their way to fashion and trade fairs. Unfortunately, those who fly into it will likely have to wait for hours to acquire their checked bags.
Since the pandemic hit, customer service also seems to have tanked.
According to one reviewer flying into Dusseldorf, the airport was "a horrible experience from a so-called international airport. Parking staff are very rude. They do not speak English and are clearly annoyed when one does not speak German. I pre-paid for the parking and received a confirmation, only to have to pay it again because the ticket stub was corrupted. No one responded to help button at the exit bar. Had to back up and create a traffic jam."
25. Kuala Lumpur International Airport
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On-time performance: 6.5
Quality of service: 7
Passenger sentiment: 4
Total: 6.75
Bottom Line: Kuala Lumpur International Airport
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Kuala Lumpur Airport is the biggest and busiest international airport in Malaysia. The state-of-the-art airport has many intriguing perks, like duty-free shops, an app for live flight updates and easy navigation, and a facial recognition security option to speed up the check-in process.
Many of the reviews are positive, but a few travelers were unhappy with the double-layered screening process.
"Worst airport ever," said a visitor. "I am an experienced traveler and have never been to an airport like it. Staff rude, unfriendly and unhelpful. Major problem being that there is a second security screening at the departure gate so you lose any water/snacks bought for the journey (which are always expensive). Once through the gate, there isn't even anywhere to buy water."
24. Henri Coanda International Airport
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On-time performance: 6
Quality of service: 6.1
Passenger sentiment: 4
Total: 6.03
Bottom Line: Henri Coanda International Airport
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Despite being Romania's largest airport, Henri Coanda, formerly named Otopeni Airport, has almost unanimously terrible reviews.
Located in Bucharest, there aren't many other options for international travel. And most travelers seem to be displeased by the experience.
One reviewer, for example, described it as "a surprisingly small airport for a capital city. The whole appearance is dated with dirty floors, limited food court and cramped layout. Staff were OK, not the friendliest."
23. Malta International Airport
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On-time performance: 5
Quality of service: 7.7
Passenger sentiment: 6
Total: 6.05
Bottom Line: Malta International Airport
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Malta is an amazing destination, as long as you can get past the Malta Airport without bursting into tears. The Wi-Fi is fine, and most people seem to think the airport is reasonably clean, but the terminal hasn't been renovated since the 1990s.
However, if you want to visit the Maltese islands, you'll just have to grin and bear it, since it's the only airport in all of Malta. One reviewer's experience was particularly awful.
"Airport security staff and police were really rude and in bad moods," said the traveler. "Always trouble with them, at no other airport in the world will you be treated so badly as a tourist. Always a really bad start and end of an otherwise so beautiful trip to this wonderful island and the friendly locals."
22. Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport
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On-time performance: 5.8
Quality of service: 8.1
Passenger sentiment: 6
Total: 6.5
Bottom Line: Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport
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Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport isn't the worst, but it's also far from the best. It's Toronto's sixth largest airport, with flights traveling all over Canada and the United States.
The biggest pain point appears to be that it can no longer accommodate the amount of traffic it needs to, and its system for assisting those with disabilities is lacking. If you have to pick someone up from Billy Bishop, consider calling them a rideshare instead. According to one reviewer, "The pickup and drop-off area at this airport is ridiculously small for the number of passengers currently passing through. Parking and pickup is basically total chaos at this airport. The rude and aggressive parking 'security' guards do not make matters any better. If you are driving, seriously consider an alternative."
21. Lisbon Portela Airport
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On-time performance: 4.7
Quality of service: 7.3
Passenger sentiment: 3
Total: 5.76
Bottom Line: Lisbon Portela Airport
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Lisbon Airport, also known as Portela Airport, is Portugal's main gateway to international destinations. It's not huge, but it still served over 31 million passengers in 2019.
It was in the middle of an expansion when the pandemic hit, but the project is now on hold indefinitely due to environmental concerns. Expansion seems to be necessary, however, given the sprawling customs lines and depressing customer service.
One reviewer said, "Appalling experience. The queue for passports control is running over 1.5 hours already. It’s almost as long as the flight. Shoddy experience for U.K. or British passport holders."
20. Geneva Airport
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On-time performance: 7.5
Quality of service: 6.8
Passenger sentiment: 2.6
Total: 6.7 (out of 10)
Bottom Line: Geneva Airport
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Geneva Airport, which used to be called Cointrin Airport, is the main international airport of Geneva, the second-largest city in Switzerland. Sure, the airport is convenient — it’s just a few miles outside of the city center — but the perks seem to stop there.
Travelers say it’s disorganized and that the security area feels very cramped.
“The lines and security are extremely inefficient and outdated, every kiosk is understaffed, and the whole place is small so every place is jam packed with people,” one reviewer wrote.
19. London Gatwick Airport
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On-time performance: 7.3
Quality of service: 6.8
Passenger sentiment: 0.6
Total: 6.66
Bottom Line: London Gatwick Airport
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Located about 30 miles south of London, Gatwick Airport serves some 45 million passengers traveling to 228 destinations in 74 countries each year.
Though Gatwick has lots of fans, other travelers have complained that it’s outdated and lagging behind when it comes to amenities offered at other airports. People also don’t like that the airport essentially forces you through a duty-free shopping area after you go through security.
One reviewer summed it up nicely when he wrote: “Definitely not the most modern of airports, in need of a lot of investment in all areas. Lack of staff and comfortable seating.”
18. Stockholm Arlanda Airport
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On-time performance: 5.7
Quality of service: 7.8
Passenger sentiment: 5.4
Total: 6.62
Bottom Line: Stockholm Arlanda Airport
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Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport is the city’s largest and most popular airport. Last year, more than 26 million people traveled through Arlanda — but that doesn’t necessarily mean they enjoyed themselves.
The airport, which is roughly 25 miles north of the city center, frequently gets dinged for its unfriendly staffers, long wait times for baggage claim and long lines everywhere.
One passenger traveled through Arlanda was so unenthused by his time there that he took to the internet to write: “Constant delays, long queues, clueless staff, toilet shortage in gate areas, no drinking water taps. Terrible airport.” Yikes.
17. Reykjavik Keflavik International Airport
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On-time performance: 6.7
Quality of service: 7.0
Passenger sentiment: 4.6
Total: 6.61
Bottom Line: Reykjavik Keflavik International Airport
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If you booked a cheap flight to Europe from the U.S., chances are pretty good that you’ll be flying through Iceland's Reykjavik Keflavik International Airport, thanks to popular flight deals from budget airline WOW Air.
People say it’s clean and modern, but way too small to accommodate all the people flying through (the terminal is being expanded right now).
“An authentic nightmare,” one passenger wrote. “Structure and organization totally inadequate to manage the tourist flows ... Personnel desperately trying to manage but systematically overwhelmed by people.”
Hopefully the expansion fixes all that!
16. Toronto Lester B. Pearson International Airport
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On-time performance: 6.7
Quality of service: 7.2
Passenger sentiment: 3.2
Total: 6.59
Bottom Line: Toronto Lester B. Pearson International Airport
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Toronto’s Lester B. Pearson International Airport has the distinction of being the busiest airport in all of Canada — and that’s a lot of pressure.
With some 44 million passengers traveling through each year, of course there are going to be some disgruntled ones. Despite Canadians’ reputation for being friendly, many travelers reported rude staffers on their way through this airport, along with little to no signage and delays at every turn.
“Oh how I loathe this airport. I've had luggage lost. I've had bags take an hour to drop on the belt. I've had delay after delay. I've had airplanes arriving on time to full gates and blocked taxiways. This is a terrible airport. Terrible,” one frustrated traveler wrote.
15. John Paul II International Airport Krakow-Balice
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On-time performance: 5.8
Quality of service: 7.6
Passenger sentiment: 5.3
Total: 6.56
Bottom Line: John Paul II International Airport Krakow-Balice
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Located just 10 miles outside the city center of Krakow, the John Paul II International Airport Krakow-Balice serves an area with roughly 7.9 million residents.
Though it recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, the airport has quite a few detractors who complain about everything from dirty facilities to rude employees.
One passenger’s advice? Avoid at all costs. “I’ve travelled through loads of airport as a frequent flyer, well (I’ve) never seen such a bad airport like this one. Toilets absolutely disgusting, the security operated by totally arrogant and rude people who want to humiliate you as much as possible.”
14. Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
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On-time performance: 6.7
Quality of service: 6.8
Passenger sentiment: 5.0
Total: 6.56
Bottom Line: Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
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Though it’s the largest international airport in France, Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris has a reputation for being disorganized, unclean and generally slow (the staff don’t appear to be very helpful or friendly, either).
One passenger took to the internet to express his frustration, writing: “This airport truly is terrible, inefficient, dirty and overall provides a bad service for international travelers. Well worth the visit for the novelty of seeing an awful airport, so you can appreciate the good ones.”
In other words, you really don’t know how nice you have it at other airports until you fly through Charles de Gaulle.
13. Berlin Schönefeld Airport
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On-time performance: 8.7
Quality of service: 4.6
Passenger sentiment: 4.9
Total: 6.48
Bottom Line: Berlin Schönefeld Airport
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When you get a review like this, you know things aren’t good: “Pretty sure there are prisons with better customer service. Honestly one of the worst airport experiences I've ever had. Avoid if possible.”
Apparently, Berlin’s Schönefeld Airport has made quite a few people unhappy over the years. It’s one of three main airports serving Berlin and is located about 15 miles southwest of the city center.
Travelers report that it’s small, crowded and that there just aren’t enough seats to accommodate the high number of people flying through on a daily basis.
12. Moscow Domodedovo Airport
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On-time performance: 6.6
Quality of service: 7.4
Passenger sentiment: 1.6
Total: 6.46
Bottom Line: Moscow Domodedovo Airport
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Domodedovo is one of three international airports serving Russia’s capital city of Moscow. It’s nearly 30 miles from the city center, though an express train can get you there in 40 to 50 minutes.
Apparently, the people who work at the airport are not very friendly and the gate areas are overrun with too many passengers.
“Crowded horror show. Not enough seating available and you’re not allowed to sit on floor. Not sure whether it’s just Russian language barrier or staff hate you,” one traveler wrote.
11. Newark Liberty International Airport
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On-time performance: 7.5
Quality of service: 6.5
Passenger sentiment: 1.5
Total: 6.4
Bottom Line: Newark Liberty International Airport
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Disorganized. Dirty. Long Lines. Rude staff. Those are just a few of the complaints you might hear about Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
The airport, which first opened in 1928 (yes, 90 years ago) as the New York metropolitan area’s first major airport, is managed by The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
It’s undergone renovations, but the upgrades haven’t impressed many of the 43 million people who travel through this airport each year. “If I could rate my experience this morning any lower I would, but sadly 1 star is as low as it can go,” one traveler wrote.
Ouch!
10. Eindhoven Airport
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On-time performance: 5.9
Quality of service: 7.2
Passenger sentiment: 5.1
Total: 6.39
Bottom Line: Eindhoven Airport
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Eindhoven in the Netherlands is not the absolute worst of the airports analyzed by AirHelp — but it’s certainly not the best either.
A quick scan of comments on the Eindhoven Airport Facebook page brings up a myriad of complaints about bad customer service, long security lines and general disarray. One representative review? “After being dismissed by every staff member with the response of ‘That’s not my problem!’, it was nearly impossible for us to speak to someone in charge and when we finally got contact info they responded with a generic email just giving their condolences. Your condolences don’t give me back my money for the flight I missed because the airport security was such a train wreck.”
9. Bordeaux-Merignac Airport
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On-time performance: 7.4
Quality of service: 5.6
Passenger sentiment: 5.1
Total: 6.37
Bottom Line: Bordeaux-Merignac Airport
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The Bordeaux-Merignac Airport is located seven miles outside the city center of Bordeaux in southwestern France. While it received decent marks for on-time performance in AirHelp’s analysis, the airport lost points for passenger sentiment and quality of service.
Complaints about this airport frequently target unclean restrooms, long security lines, rude staff members and an overall unwelcoming feeling. Reviewers have called it a “shed” that’s “the cheapest of the cheap,” with a “primitive” security process and “indifferent food.” Wrote one disgruntled passenger, “The whole atmosphere gives the impression of what I would imagine a world war 2 experience would be.”
But hey, travel can’t always be easy and glamorous ... right?
8. Edinburgh Airport
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On-time performance: 6.6
Quality of service: 7.0
Passenger sentiment: 1.8
Total: 6.29
Bottom Line: Edinburgh Airport
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Though Edinburgh Airport touts itself as being “where Scotland meets the world,” some travelers were thoroughly unimpressed with this airport. According to AirHelp’s analysis, the airport received pretty awful marks for passenger sentiment, which dragged down its overall score.
People who have flown through Edinburgh say it’s difficult to navigate, mismanaged and chaotic. Travelers also point out that the airport is severely lacking in seats to accommodate passengers as they wait, so many people end up sitting on the ground — definitely not ideal.
7. Boryspil International Airport
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On-time performance: 4.3
Quality of service: 8.0
Passenger sentiment: 4.9
Total: 6.03
Bottom Line: Boryspil International Airport
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If you’re planning to visit Kiev, Ukraine, chances are you’ll be flying into the No. 7 worst airport in the world, Boryspil International Airport.
Travelers have griped about it being difficult to connect to this airport’s Wi-Fi and to find drinking fountains to fill up their water bottles. Another common complaint? Shoddy restrooms, which have been described as "smelly" with "toilets which were really dirt."
6. Manchester Airport
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On-time performance: 6.1
Quality of service: 6.6
Passenger sentiment: 2.6
Total: 5.95
Bottom Line: Manchester Airport
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People really like to complain about Manchester Airport — and that negative passenger sentiment is one of the main reasons the airport is No. 6 on this list.
Most recently, people have been grumbling about the fact that Manchester now charges a fee for passenger drop-offs, so even those who aren’t actually stepping foot inside the airport have something bad to say about it. As one reviewer put it, “New drop-off parking charges are slimy, money grabbing and shameful.”
Other travelers say the airport doesn’t have enough staff to keep up with the number of passengers traveling through it, which creates long lines and lots of frustration.
5. Stockholm Bromma Airport
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On-time performance: 4.4
Quality of service: 7.6
Passenger sentiment: 5.1
Total: 5.91
Bottom Line: Stockholm Bromma Airport
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Despite Sweden regularly being named one of the happiest countries in the world, the country’s Stockholm Bromma Airport, located a few miles west of the city center, has caused quite a lot of headaches for recent travelers.
Though it’s much closer to the center of Stockholm than Sweden’s largest airport, Arlanda, travelers complain that Bromma is tiny, which means there are few places to sit when things get busy. On the other hand, a smaller airport also means quicker check-in and security procedures, travelers report, so you may not want to write off Bromma completely.
4. Paris Orly Airport
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On-time performance: 5.3
Quality of service: 6.8
Passenger sentiment: 4.1
Total: 5.83
Bottom Line: Paris Orly Airport
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If you aren’t flying into Paris’s main international airport, Charles de Gaulle, you’re likely flying into Orly Airport, south of the city center. And chances are, this will lead to a not-so-pleasant experience.
In addition to the airport’s low marks from AirHelp, travelers don’t hold back on its Facebook page. Some of the most common complaints about Orly include that it’s crowded, not welcoming, disorganized and somewhat difficult to navigate. (“Most pathetic international airport [I] have ever been to,” wrote one Facebook reviewer. “Hands down worst airport experience in the decade I’ve been traveling internationally,” groused another.)
C’est la vie!
3. Lyon-Saint-Exupery Airport
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On-time performance: 6.1
Quality of service: 5.8
Passenger sentiment: 4.2
Total: 5.78
Bottom Line: Lyon-Saint-Exupery Airport
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Though travelers love the design and architecture of Lyon-Saint-Exupery — the airport, located on the eastern outskirts of Lyon, France, has a distinctive fan-shaped canopy over its rail station — that’s about where their compliments stop.
Travelers have complained about the lack of technology during the check-in process, long lines and unhelpful French staffers. Or, as one passenger more crudely put it in a review, “What a bunch of completely useless idiots must run this place. Honestly, a child could do a better job.”
2. London Stansted Airport
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On-time performance: 6.2
Quality of service: 5.8
Passenger sentiment: 1.1
Total: 5.53
Bottom Line: London Stansted Airport
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When you think of London airports, you typically picture Gatwick or Heathrow. But don’t leave out London Stansted Airport, which is roughly 40 miles northeast of the city center.
The airport also happens to be the second-worst in the world, according to AirHelp’s findings, due to an abysmal score for passenger sentiment (though surprisingly not as low as London Gatwick Airport) and mediocre marks elsewhere.
What do travelers have to say about Stansted? Well, for starters, they complain that the lines for check-in and security are always incredibly long and that it takes forever to get your bags once you land.
1. Kuwait Airport
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On-time performance: 4.1
Quality of service: 7.0
Passenger sentiment: 3.9
Total: 5.40
Bottom Line: Kuwait Airport
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Coming in at “No. 1” on the list of the worst airports in the world? Kuwait Airport.
Travelers flying through here noted that it was disorganized and not as clean as they would have liked, and that they felt the staff was not very friendly.
As one disgruntled passenger put it succinctly: “This airport is a total disgrace.”