Best smaller airports: Vienna in 13th place

The so-called is carried out World Consumer Airport Index from the Consumer Choice Center, a consumer protection NGO. The airport manages the smaller airports with up to 47.2 million passengers per year Düsseldorf again in first place. The airport owes this to the range of services and amenities it offers passengers.

Zurich could get up Second place improve. The decisive factor for this was the improved waiting time at security checkpoints to just three minutes. On third place stands Copenhagen, with limited nighttime operations and the lack of ride-hailing services like Uber being the reason for the third-place ranking.

Other airports in the top ten smaller airports are: Helsinki, Malpensa, Oslo Gardermoen, Munich, Vancouver International, Brussels and Berlin Brandenburg. The rankings are based on a variety of criteria, including location, transport links, range of shops and restaurants and other service and infrastructure features.

Frankfurt is doing poorly

The worst German airport in the ranking of the larger airports Frankfurt. He occupies only 23rd place out of 25. Overall, it is one of the worst airports in the world (51st out of 60). Frankfurt Airport receives a deduction point after the Skyline train (connecting Terminals 1 and 3), which was recently put into operation, had to be stopped again after just one month. Instead, travelers have to use a longer shuttle bus connection. In addition, there is inadequate signage and the delayed opening of Terminal 3.

Worldwide decline in passenger numbers

Global passenger traffic fell by 3.4 percent in early and mid-2026 compared to the previous year. The consequences of the Iran war, i.e. the decline in oil supply and higher kerosene prices, also pose problems for air traffic. Airlines can offer fewer flights and unprofitable connections are canceled. Airports with organizational deficits, such as Frankfurt, have even more difficulty retaining passengers given these conditions.