Airports worldwide are outperforming other industries in customer experience, with passenger satisfaction continuing to rise, according to the 2025 ASQ Customer Experience Awards announced by Airports Council International (ACI) World, in partnership with Gold sponsor SITA.
The results come amid continued traffic growth, with global passenger volumes expected to reach 9.8 billion in 2025 and projected to rise to 10.2 billion in 2026—placing increasing pressure on airports to deliver efficient, welcoming, and high-quality experiences at scale.
ASQ is the only global benchmarking program that measures passenger satisfaction from travellers while they are at the airport, when their experiences are live, providing the most accurate and timely picture of the passenger experience at each step of the journey. Passengers are randomly selected at departure and arrival gates using a scientifically designed sampling methodology, with surveys collected across all operating hours, days, and months.
Highlights
- Passenger satisfaction increased globally despite continued traffic growth
- Nearly 707,000 passengers surveyed worldwide, in real time
- More than half of the world’s air travellers passed through an ASQ-rated airport
- Border and Passport Control recorded the largest satisfaction gains globally
- Airport ambience and cleanliness were the strongest drivers of overall satisfaction
- Several award categories feature more than 35% new winners
Recognizing excellence worldwide
The winners announced this year represent the largest pool yet: 100 airports worldwide were recognised for excellence in passenger experience, with 195 awards presented across all categories and regions, including:
- 88 Best Airports at Departures
- 23 Best Airports: Most Dedicated Staff
- 26 Best Airports: Easiest Airport Journey
- 23 Best Airports: Most Enjoyable Airport
- 29 Best Airports: Cleanest Airport
- 6 Best Airports at Arrivals
In addition, 8 airports were awarded the ACI World Director General’s Roll of Excellence, recognising their performance and consistency in delivering a high-quality passenger experience.
So how did Africa perform?
Best Airports at Departures, by size and region:
5 to 15 million passengers per year
- Cape Town International Airport (Cape Town, South Africa)
2 to 5 million passengers per year
- Dakar Blaise Diagne International Airport (Diass, Senegal)
- Kotoka International Airport (Accra, Ghana)
Under 2 million passengers per year
- Bram Fischer International Airport (Bloemfontein, South Africa)
- Port Elizabeth Airport (Port Elizabeth, South Africa)
- Upington Airport (Upington, South Africa)
Best Airports: Most Dedicated Staff
- Dakar Blaise Diagne International Airport (Diass, Senegal)
- Port Elizabeth Airport (Port Elizabeth, South Africa)
Best Airports: Easiest Airport Journey
- Cape Town International Airport (Cape Town, South Africa)
- Port Elizabeth Airport (Port Elizabeth, South Africa)
Best Airports: Most Enjoyable Airport
- Cape Town International Airport (Cape Town, South Africa)
- King Shaka International Airport (Durban, South Africa)
Best Airports: Cleanest Airport
- Cape Town International Airport (Cape Town, South Africa)
- Dakar Blaise Diagne International Airport (Diass, Senegal)
Get all the winners here: https://aci.aero/programs-and-services/asq/asq-customer-experience-awards/#asq-awards
