For the 20th time in a row, Zurich Airport has been named the best in Europe by the World Travel Awards. In a year which saw Zurich face new challenges - from missing bags to queues for security - the largest airport in Switzerland still won the top accolade despite strong competition from airports in the Netherlands, Germany and the rest of Europe.

Zurich excels in World Travel Awards for 2023

To choose “Europe’s Leading Airport” for 2023, the World Travel Awards studied each airport on the continent to see which offers passengers the best experience. In a statement, Zurich Airport said that customer satisfaction, overall standards of services and the quality and selection of products and services available to travellers were the main areas analysed.

Despite strong competition, from Munich and Amsterdam to Barcelona and Berlin, Zurich Airport managed to reclaim the award as part of a glitzy ceremony in Batumi, Georgia. The win cemented the airport's 20 years of dominance in the category - the last time any other airport won the award was Frankfurt Airport in 2003.

According to the airport, Zurich was given high praise for its cleanliness, the friendliness of its workers and the short walking distances between the entrance, check-in, security and gates. “Keeping quality high on an ongoing basis is one of our top priorities at Zurich Airport," noted airport CEO Lukas Brosi.

Despite challenges, Zurich Airport still the best in Europe

The CEO added that Zurich’s latest victory came in a year when the airport “faced operational challenges due to the strong recovery of passenger numbers after the pandemic” - in July 2023 passenger numbers in Zurich rose by 16 percent compared to the same period in 2022. Long waiting times at security, blamed by the airport on a shortage of Swiss police, also forced officials to hire 200 more security guards to speed up checks.

Brosi concluded that the problems faced by the airport in the last year were resolved "thanks to the good cooperation with all airport partners. The fact that we are once again able to accept this award means a lot to us.”

At the same awards ceremony, Air France was named “Europe’s Leading Airline”, Lufthansa took first place for its business class, while the Hilton in Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam won the title of best airport hotel. To see the other winners, check out the official website.

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