Houston (August, 11, 2021) – Houston’s airports soared high, once again, at the Skytrax 2021 World Airport Awards by earning a long list of honors in various categories. 

“As a city, we are honored to be recognized on the world stage,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said. “As our city recovers from the global pandemic, our airports remain a world-class gateway for business and leisure travel. Global connectivity drives our economy, and we are proud to say that Houston is leading in this way.” 

The top honors went to Bush Airport, which received the highest ranking among U.S. airports in the World’s Top 100 Airports category and placed second-best airport in North America, achieving both honors for the second consecutive year. Bush Airport climbed six spots in rank to No. 25 among the top 100 world airports. Bush Airport also ranked as the cleanest airport in the U.S and finished fourth in the rankings for Best U.S. Airport Staff. 

Hobby airport received several noteworthy accolades as well, including the most improved airport in the U.S. It also ranked third in the Best Regional Airports in North America category. In the Top 100 Best World Airports category, Hobby Airport placed 49th, up from 67th in 2020. Additionally, Hobby ranked tenth in the Cleanest Airports - North America category. 

“In light of the enormous challenges of the past 18 months, we are humbled and honored to receive such prestigious recognitions from the traveling public,” Houston Airports Director Mario Diaz said. “Our customer-first mentality has served us well, and we continue to be vigilant in our efforts to safeguard the health and welfare of every single customer, visitor and staff member at Houston Airports.” 

Houston is the only U.S. city to have two airports in the Best Airports in North America and Cleanest Airports categories. Since the early onset of the pandemic, Houston Airports implemented FlySafe Houston, an internationally accredited passenger and employee-focused safety and health initiative that helps reduce the spread of COVID-19 at Houston Airports.  

“I want to express my deep appreciation to the staff who made this possible by working tirelessly to keep us moving strongly forward,” Chief Terminal Management Officer Liliana Rambo said. “I also want to thank our airport partners for sustained excellence and superlative communication as we worked together through such lifesaving initiatives as FlySafe Houston.” 

The Skytrax World Airport Awards rankings are based on an annual airport customer survey for the Passenger’s Choice Awards that was conducted from August 2020 until July 2021. Many travelers voted for their favorite / best airport based on pre-pandemic travel experiences, while other customers voted after their COVID-19 airport experience during the past 12 months. 

ABOUT HOUSTON AIRPORTS  
Houston Airports is the City of Houston’s Department of Aviation. Comprised of George Bush Intercontinental Airport, IAH, William P. Hobby Airport, HOU, and Ellington Airport/Houston Spaceport, EFD, Houston Airports served 24.7 million passengers in 2020 and nearly 60 million in 2019. Houston Airports forms one of North America's largest public airport systems and positions Houston as the international passenger and cargo gateway to the South Central United States and as a primary gateway to Latin America. Houston is proud to be the only city in the Western Hemisphere with two Skytrax rated 4-star airports. Fly2houston.com    

THE WORLD AIRPORT AWARDS 
The World Airport Awards began in 1999, when Skytrax launched its first global, airport customer satisfaction survey. They are regarded as a quality benchmark for the world airport industry, assessing customer service and facilities across over 500 airports. 

There is no entry fee or any type of payment by an airport (or other third party) to be included in the survey or awards, with the survey and awards process fully funded by Skytrax. 

Award Winners for 2021 
 

Media Contact 
Augusto Bernal 
Public Information Officer 
713-542-1490 
augusto.bernal@houstontx.gov