World's most beautiful airport in 2025 revealed

Yantai Penglai International Airport's Terminal 2 in China has been named the world’s most beautiful airport of 2025 by the prestigious Prix Versailles awards.

Spanning 167,000 m², the architecture of the Yantai Penglai International Airport's new Terminal 2 pays homage to Yantai’s unique coastal landscape. The terminal’s E-shaped layout was developed to optimise passenger flow and minimise the impact on the existing terrain. Operational flexibility, allowing the spaces to be adapted as needed in real time, was a key consideration.

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Natural light permeates the entire terminal, culminating in a glazed diagrid dome crowning a multi-level atrium. The interior curves, materials and tones echo the nature all around the structure, with reinterpretations of wooden ships’ hulls scattered here and there in a nod to the Maritime Silk Road.

Marseille Provence Airport Terminal 1 Marignane in France ranked second on the list. This window-lined hall standing 22 metres tall at the terminal was built of 70% recycled steel and features an inverted beam roof and a grid of skylights framed with polished aluminium allowing for natural ventilation.

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For this project, 28,000 m² of space were restored, in keeping with Fernand Pouillon’s original 1960s terminal and integrated with Richard Rogers’ further development in the 1990s. Now, travellers go through security under a timber canopy, and the spaces containing shops and restaurants – likewise made of wood – are a reference to the boat houses of the Old Port of Marseille.

Ranked third on the list is the Arrivals Terminal at Roland Garros Airport on Réunion Island, France—recognized as the world’s first large-scale tropical bioclimatic airport structure.

Japan's Kansai International Airport also featured on the list. Originally designed 30 years ago by Renzo Piano, on an artificial island in the middle of Osaka Bay, the airport is an architectural icon. With its elegant structure and aerodynamic roofline, it is also the longest airport in the world.

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All the interior spaces have been reinvigorated with a palette of natural materials to give the terminal a distinctly Japanese feel. In parallel to this reconfiguration, a smart queue management system now delivers streamlined solutions for passengers.

Complete list of world's most beautiful airports 2025

1. Yantai Penglai International Airport
   Terminal 2
   Yantai, China
   
   
2. Marseille Provence Airport
   Terminal 1
   Marignane, France
   
   
3. Roland Garros Airport
   Arrivals Terminal
   Réunion Island, France
   
   
4. Kansai International Airport
   Terminal 1
   Osaka, Japan
   
   
5. Portland International Airport
   Main Terminal
   Portland, United States
   
   
6. San Francisco International Airport
   Terminal 1
   San Francisco, United States