Six of the world’s worst airports are in the EU

Something that needs attention if the bloc aims to be a first-class tourist destination

AirHelp, a German claims management company specializing in airline claims, has recently updated its global ranking of the world’s airports and some of Europe’s busiest and better-known airports have come out looking poorly. In fact, 6 out of the ten worst airports in the world are located on EU territory.

What’s more, the worst airport (out of 132 that have been evaluated), according to the ranking is also European – Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado Airport, also known as Portela. Although it is the continent’s 16^th busiest airport, serving more than 31 million passengers before the pandemic struck, it has also received a slew of complaints from passengers. The most common grudge has been the excessively long lines at passport control, which can take up to six hours to get through.

Which are the six worst EU airports?

Humberto Delgado Airport received an overall score of 5.76 out of 10, which is quite mediocre as a grade. The 10-point scale is based on three criteria: punctuality of departures and arrivals (which contribute 60% of the total score), service quality and cleanliness (20% of the score) and food and shop availability and quality (20% of the score).

According to the ranking, 5 more EU airports form part of the unenviable club of the ten lowest-ranked in the world. These are:

• Eindhoven Airport in the Netherlands (5.92 score): The second-largest airport in that country is also known for rude staff and lack of seats;
• Henri Coandă International Airport in Bucharest, Romania (6.03): The problem with the country’s busiest airport was the impolite and unwelcoming staff working there;
• Malta International Airport (6.05): A chief problem is its lack of space and lack of seats for passengers waiting for their flights;
• Paris Orly Airport (6.37): It may be the second-busiest airport in France but its shops, for one, close early;
• Porto Airport, also in Portugal (6.46): It also suffers from long lines and low-quality food.

For those wondering which the best airport in the world is, the answer is Qatar’s Hamad International Airport with a score of 8.39. The best EU airport is the one serving the Greek capital, Athens, which is also the third best in the world overall.