Dual horizontal escalators smoothly guide travelers to the departure gate in the airport.The UAE is flying high, with both Dubai and Abu Dhabi International Airports securing spots in the world’s top 20 airports, according to a newly released global ranking by AirHelp, the travel tech company supporting passengers with flight disruptions.
Dubai International Airport has been ranked the world’s number one airport for food & shops, scoring 9.1 out of 10, while securing 18th place worldwide with a notable 8.14 points overall. Abu Dhabi Airport follows closely behind, securing 19th place globally and scoring 8.11 points.
Tomasz Pawliszyn, CEO of AirHelp commented: "At AirHelp, we believe passengers should be able to make decisions about air travel based on more than just the price of a flight. Our goal is to equip them with an insight into flight performance using other factors that matter. Through the AirHelp Score, we can help passengers better predict what their experience will look like at different airports and what they can do if their flight gets delayed, cancelled or overbooked.”
The 2025 AirHelp Score ranks 250 airports across 68 countries. The data highlights a strong surge from the Middle East, with eight airports breaking into the global top 20 - a significant jump from just two in 2024 which reflects the region’s growing excellence in aviation.
Airports were assessed in three key categories of Punctuality, Customer Opinions, and Food & Shops. Cape Town International Airport in South Africa ranked the world’s top-performing airport, achieving an impressive 8.57 points overall.
Middle East on the rise
Leading the Middle East is Doha Hamad International Airport in Qatar, which earned an impressive 8.52 points, securing second place globally and the title of the region’s top-performing airport. The airport also came out on top when evaluating the largest airports, handling over 250,000 flights each year.
Close behind is Riyadh King Khaled International Airport in Saudi Arabia, which made a remarkable leap from 33rd to 3rd place worldwide, with a score of 8.47, making it the second-highest ranked in the Middle East and across the largest global airports. Muscat International Airport in Oman follows closely with the same score, placing it third in the Middle East and fifth overall.
Since 2015, the AirHelp Score has helped passengers make more informed decisions by ranking the performance of airlines and airports worldwide. Similarly to last year, and to better serve passengers ahead of the busy summer months, airport and airline rankings will be published separately, ensuring passengers have timely access to the latest airport performance data.
