Where do you reckon the best airport in the world is? Singapore? Maybe you’d guess New York, or Dubai, or somewhere equally flashy. We’ll save you wasting your time, because chances are you wouldn’t say the correct answer, Newcastle International, no matter how many chances you get.
That’s right; the small, regional northeast English airport won big at the 2024 Routes World Awards, taking home the ‘overall’ win. Basically, it won the ‘best picture’ Oscar of the aviation world. This is the second time it’s won in this category, and it also held onto its title of best airport with fewer than 5 million annual passengers. Impressive stuff for such a small terminal.
So what makes Newcastle so great? It’s been doing pretty well for itself since Covid, expanding what it offers in terms of airlines and destinations with 41 new routes being added in the past 4 years. In order to win this award, airports had to be nominated by airlines and then selected by a panel of judges, so these improvements have clearly impressed multiple different experts.
A spokesperson for the airport said, ‘We are absolutely delighted to have won this prestigious [award]. This is incredible recognition for everyone working at Newcastle Airport
‘We truly appreciate the support of our airline partners, who continue to invest in the Newcastle market and provide vital connectivity for the northeast England region.’
Time Out's Ella Jinadu, who was a frequent user of Newcastle during her time at university, had similarly positive things to say, praising the airport’s ‘super speedy’ security, and saying ‘the fact that the metro goes straight there is a huge plus’. Although, she did caution that the food and drink options are limited: ‘I can remember many a trip back from uni only feasting on a Boots meal deal.’
Congrats Newcastle. We hope it’s only onwards and upwards (pun intended) from here on out.
Eyes on the skies
For more recent aviation news on Time Out, did you see that two British airlines have been crowned the best in the world right now? And a bunch of new routes are running from Birmingham. There’s also been new affordable flights from Edinburgh to New York and the return of direct flights from the UK to this beautiful Caribbean island.
Here’s why you should join Time Out Loud, our brand-new global community.
Plus: Could Brits soon get visa-free travel to China?
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country.