Newcastle Airport crowned ‘best in the world’

Newcastle Airport has been recognised as the ‘best in the world’ at the World Routes Conference in Bahrain.

The airport took home the conference’s ‘Overall Winner’ award which is the first time ever a UK Airport has achieved this accolade.

The airport also retained its title of ‘Best in the World’ in the under five million passengers category for the second year running.

Nominated and voted for by airlines across the world, the airport was recognised for its operational excellence, route development, strong relationships with airlines and for its expertise in marketing airline products and services in an innovative way.

Nick Jones, Newcastle Airport chief executive, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have won these prestigious Routes World awards.

“We would like to thank all our airline partners for nominating us and it is testament to the hard work and dedication of our teams who always strive for us to ‘be the best airport’.

“We really appreciate the continued support of our airline partners who continue to invest in the Newcastle market and deliver vital connectivity for the North East England region.”

Councillor Tracey Dixon, leader of South Tyneside Council and chair of the LA7 shareholders, said: “These are yet more fantastic accolades and are well-deserved recognition of all those whose hard work and commitment help the Airport go from strength to strength – my congratulations to them all.

“Newcastle International Airport is of pivotal importance to the North East, not only enhancing regional connectivity and providing a gateway to the world, but also helping to attract inbound tourism.”

This success comes after it was recently named UK and Ireland Airport of the Year at the 2024 Travel Industry Awards.

The airport recently invested more than £20 million in its terminal to improve the overall passenger experience.

This included the redevelopment of the security search area, including the implementation of next generation security scanners, with 98 per cent of passengers passing through security in under 10 minutes year-to-date.

The airport fully refurbished all the catering outlets in the departure lounge and also opened Aspire’s first three-tier lounge product, a world first for lounge provider Aspire.