Portugal is one of the countries that have several representatives in the list of two best airports in the world by Skytrax (World Airport Awards) like Japan, France, the UK or Spain. Over the course of two years, it has consolidated itself as one of the most visited destinations in Europe, which requires a sufficiently solid airport infrastructure to handle this high volume of passengers. In this post we will review which are the best airports in Portugal.
You will see that some Portuguese airports make up the ranking of the 100 best of the world and find out which are the criteria evaluated at the time of making the choice.
If you are a resident in France and are planning to pay a visit to the Portuguese country, keep reading (and don´t forget for currency exchange that Portugal is Euro country).
Airports of Portugal on the list of the 100 best
This ranking is carried out annually by the British consultancy Skytrax, which evaluates more than 500 airports around the world based on the quality of service.
In this 2023 we can find these two Portuguese airports in the world top 100:
Porto Airport: 81st in the world
Porto Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport, also known as Porto Moreira Airport or Pedras Rubras Airport, is located about 12 kilometers north of the city center of Porto.
It is a modern building with a very striking architecture. The terminal has three levels. On the ground floor there are the arrivals desk, luggage reclaim and the car rental area. The second floor is dedicated to the commercial area and is also where the departure lounge is located. While on the third floor we find the exits and some facilities such as restaurants and pharmacies.
In the commercial area there are many shops of all kinds. Here you can find everything from bookstores to tobacconists and tobacconists, including luxurious fashion stores.
The airport is located just 15 minutes from Porto city center and you can get there by metro, bus or private car.
Lisbon Airport: Number 83 in the world
Lisbon Airport, also known as Portela Airport or Humberto Delgado Airport, is located in the parishes of Olivais, Camarate and Prior Velho. It is the most important air terminal in the country (it receives around 25 million passengers per year) and one of the largest in southern Europe. It serves as a hub for the country’s main airline, TAP Air Portugal.
Among the varied gastronomic offer on offer, there is a branch of Confeitaria Nacional, the oldest bakery in Lisbon. Likewise, it has many fast food restaurants and others of better category.
Lisbon airport has 3 VIP lounges. For a one-time fee, these lounges offer Wi-Fi, unlimited food and drink, showers and a peaceful environment, ideal if you’re on a long layover.
The commercial sector of the airport is made up of more than 40 stores of all kinds, many of them Duty Free.
It is very well connected with the rest of the city, offering multiple access and transport options.
Other prominent airports in Portugal
In addition to not being included in the list of the 100 best in the world, these two Portuguese airports are also among the best in the country:
Faro airport
Located in the Algarve region, it is a small airport but with a great infrastructure.
It has all the comfort of a top airport in the world. In addition to enjoying a very large commercial area, it also offers many options for food, transportation and accommodation.
Madeira Airport
Madeira Airport, also known as Cristiano Ronaldo Airport (formerly known as Funchal Airport and Santa Catarina Airport), stands out more for its history than for its facilities.
It is famous for having the hardest airstrip in the world. Pilots who land on it need a special permit, as they have to face a small runway and strong winds.
The top 10
The list of the top 10 airports in 2023 consists of:
- Position 1: Changi Airport (Singapore)
- Position 2: Doha Hamad Airport (Qatar)
- Position 3: Tokyo Haneda Airport (Japan)
- Position 4: Incheon International Airport, South Korea.
- Position 5: Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, France.
- Position 6: Istanbul Airport, Türkiye.
- Position 7: Munich-Franz Josef Strauss International Airport, Germany.
- Position 8: Zurich Airport, Switzerland.
- Position 9: Narita International Airport, Japan.
- Position 10: Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas International Airport, Spain.
What are the study criteria?
The methodology that Skytrax applies to evaluate airports is based on user experience.
Through a survey, they collect information from thousands of people from over 100 nationalities. In the 2023 study, more than 550 airports in the world were monitored, and those that made the list of the best are the ones that stood out the most according to these criteria:
Accessibility
Specifically, consider:
- How to get to and from the airport.
- Access facilities.
- Public transportation.
- Taxis: rates and availability.
- Baggage carts.
Convenience and comfort
- Cleaning of terminal floors.
- Context.
- Seat availability.
Security and migration
- Wait times, system and efficiency of migration processes.
- Attitude of migration staff.
- Waiting times, system and efficiency of security processes.
- Family safety control options.
- Attitude of security staff.
- Billing facilities.
Internal zones
- Cleaning of bathrooms.
- Terminal signage.
- Flight information screens.
- Clarity in call boarding.
- Friendly airport staff.
- VIP rooms.
- Smoking area.
- Baby facilities.
- WiFi.
Commercial area
- Duty-free shopping areas.
- Currency exchange in Portugal
- Prices.
- Gastronomic offer.
- ATMs.
- Games zone.
What changes have there been from 2022?
Porto airport was absent from the top 100 during the year 2022. In fact, in this period it was ranked 106th. That is, it had a dizzying rise this year, reaching box 81.
For its part, Lisbon airport also achieved a better position in 2023 (83), since in 2022 it occupied the 90th place on the list.
What is the World Airport Awards?
The World Airport Awardas is a list of the top 100 airports in the world is the result of the global airport survey by Skytrax.
These awards are a quality benchmark for airports around the world, as they assess the level of user satisfaction and also the state of facilities in more than 500 air terminals.
Skytrax is fully funding this entire study. None of the airports surveyed have direct participation in the final decision.
The prestige generated by being on this list is so great that the awarded airports can display a seal granted by Skytrax in their logo, which accredits them as one of the best of the year.
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