Vancouver International Airport soars to world's 13th best airport in annual Skytrax rankings
Airport quality can also vary widely from how busy the facilities are, and the appropriate space and level of maintenance and services required. YVR also ranked very highly for airports with 20 million to 30 million passengers; Skytrax ranked YVR as the world’s second best airport for this annual passenger volume range, just behind Zurich Airport and ahead of Vienna.
In 2024, YVR recorded 26.2 million annual passengers, marking its second-highest annual total ever — just behind its all-time record of 26.3 million in 2019.
Additionally, the Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel attached to YVR’s U.S. transborder terminal is the world’s fourth best airport hotel and the second best airport hotel in North America.
YVR also has the second-best airport staff in North America, just behind Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport and ahead of New York LaGuardia Airport.
And when it comes to the world’s best airports for art, YVR is seventh best — just behind New York LaGuardia Airport and Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru (Bangalore). YVR has extensive art, including vast First Nations collections and the world’s largest Disney exhibit entailing hundreds of figurines and toys of Mickey and Minnie Mouse and their friends, including vintage collections.
YVR is slowly climbing back up in the global rankings, as not too long ago, it regularly ranked within the top 10 of the entire world’s best airports. But it has faced growing competition from other new and improved reports for over a decade, which pushed it out of the top 10 starting in 2015, when the airport ranked 11th. This was followed by YVR’s global rankings of 14th in 2016, 13th in 2017, 14th in 2018, 17th in 2019, 13th in 2020, and 24th in 2021.
In summary, these are Vancouver International Airport’s six accolades in the 2025 Skytrax World Airport Awards:
- 13th best airport in the entire world
- Second best airport in the world with annual passenger volumes of between 20 million and 30 million
- Best airport in North America
- Fourth best airport hotel in the world (Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel)
- Second best airport staff in North America
- Seventh best airport in the world for art
Skytrax’s annual World Airport Awards are widely recognized as the global benchmark for airport excellence. It is entirely based on passenger feedback through independent customer satisfaction surveys conducted around the globe, with the survey gauging passenger input on check-in, arrivals, transportation, shopping, security, and immigration through to departure at the gate. This year’s winners were announced in a ceremony in Madrid on Wednesday.
“I am thrilled that YVR has been recognized as the Best Airport in North America and is ranked among the world’s top airports,” said Tamara Vrooman, president and CEO of the Vancouver Airport Authority, in a statement today.
“This achievement is a testament to the dedication and passion of our incredible team, our valued community, and the trusted partners we work alongside every day. This award belongs to all of us.”
In contrast, Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport earned a 51st ranking in the world for 2025, up from 53rd in 2024, while Toronto Pearson International Airport earned a 55th ranking in the world for 2025, up from 63rd in 2024.
No other Canadian airports made it to Skytrax’s top 100 list.
At the very top of the list, the world’s best airport in 2025 is Singapore Changi Airport, followed by Doha Hamad International Airport, Tokyo Haneda International Airport, Seoul Incheon International Airport, Tokyo Narita International Airport, and Hong Kong International Airport.
- You might also like:
- Vancouver International Airport breaks a record and almost bests passenger count in 2024
- No major dip in U.S. route passengers at Vancouver International Airport in early 2025
- The world's largest Disney exhibit at an airport is in Vancouver (PHOTOS)
- White Spot is landing at YVR Airport once again: Here's when and where
- Vancouver International Airport determining plan for partially built new parkade