Melbourne has been named ‘Best Airport’ in Australia and the Pacific at the Skytrax World Airport Awards, taking the title for the sixth time in seven years.
Announced at the Passenger Terminal Expo World 2026 in London, the award is based on the world’s largest airport customer satisfaction survey, with travellers assessing more than 565 airports globally.
The award follows a record summer, with Melbourne Airport recording its busiest month ever for international travel in January.
In the past six months the airport has also welcomed more than half a dozen new airlines with Delta Air Lines, Hong Kong Airlines and Shenzhen Airlines launching flights to Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Shenzhen respectively.
Indonesia AirAsia, Maldivian Airlines, Finnair and British Airways have all announced plans to start services in the coming year.
Lorie Argus, Melbourne Airport CEO, welcomed the Skytrax recognition and said the honour came at a time of significant transformation for the airport as it builds for the future.
“We’re incredibly proud that travellers continue to rate us as the best airport in our region, but we want to be even better,” she said.
“The people who work at Melbourne Airport are our secret sauce and always strive to put our customers first, but sometimes our infrastructure and border technology let us down.
“We’re processing record international passenger numbers through the same amount of immigration kiosks we had a decade ago while still requiring travellers to fill out a paper arrivals card, which has to change as we edge closer to welcoming the world to Australia for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics.
“We’ll continue to work with government and our local agencies on this, at the same as investing for the future.”
Adelaide Airport was awarded ‘Best Airport Staff’ and ‘Best Regional Airport’ in the Australia & Pacific region in the same awards.
# Meanwhile Virgin Australia has won ‘World’s Best Cabin Crew’ for the eighth year in a row in the AirlineRatings.com World’s Best Airlines Awards for 2026.
The airline also ranked third globally in the ‘World’s Best Hybrid Airlines’ category.
“Winning World’s Best Cabin Crew for the eighth year in a row is something we’re incredibly proud of, because it’s all about our people,” said Dave Emerson, Virgin Australia Group CEO.
“We always encourage our crew to bring their own unique flair to work, which makes a real difference to the guest experience and is truly what I believe makes our team the best in the world.”
