World’s most beautiful airports of 2025 chosen by Prix Versailles | News

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Portland International Airport Main Terminal by ZGF. Image credit: Ema Peter

The Prix Versailles has unveiled its list of the world’s most beautiful airports for 2025. The list of six newly opened airports “can also be seen as works of art, or at least as things of beauty,” according to Prix Versailles Secretary General Jérôme Gouadain.

In December, three projects from the list will be given additional titles of a World Title – Prix Versailles, Interior, or Exterior. The unveiling of the airport shortlist comes shortly after the organization chose its shortlist for restaurants, hotels, and museums. 

Below, we have published the six projects comprising the World’s Most Beautiful Airports list 2025. You can compare the projects with those of previous years by following our ongoing coverage of the series here.

Yantai Penglai International Airport Terminal 2 by Aedas, CSWADI, and Shanghai New Era Airport Design and Research Institute

Yantai, China

Yantai Penglai International Airport Terminal 2 by Aedas, CSWADI, and Shanghai New Era Airport Design and Research Institute. Image credit: 404 N.F Studio

Description: 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. 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 by Foster + Partners

Marignane, France

Marseille Provence Airport Terminal 1 by Foster + Partners. Image credit: Aéroport Marseille Provence

Project description: 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. Glass façades provide for maximum transparency, with views of Provençal hinterland on the one side and a maritime lagoon on the other, in a wonderful blend of hospitality and style.

Roland Garros Airport Arrivals Terminal by AIA Life Designers

Réunion Island, France

Roland Garros Airport Arrivals Terminal by AIA Life Designers. Image credit: Studio Lumière

Description: More than an extension, the new 13,000 m² Arrivals Terminal is the world’s first tropical bioclimatic airport structure at this scale. On an island that is subject to increasingly intense weather phenomena, this technical feat was achieved by working with 91% local businesses. One bold feature of this wealth of expertise comes in the form of a central “canyon” that defines both the form and function of the building, and that acts as a thermal chimney enabling natural ventilation.

Kansai International Airport Terminal 1 by Populous

Osaka, Japan

Kansai International Airport Terminal 1 by Populous. Image credit: Populous

Description: The challenge with which Populous was tasked was to secure the site’s long-term growth by making the best possible use of existing infrastructure. This has now been achieved for Terminal 1, with its capacity to accommodate international travellers expanded by 25%, as part of an attractive, functional setting that has been entirely revisited. 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.

Portland International Airport Main Terminal by ZGF

Portland, United States

Portland International Airport Main Terminal by ZGF. Image credit: Ema Peter

Description: The star of the project is its undulating mass timber roof, extending over more 36,000 m², which celebrates Oregon’s history of forest product innovation. The materials employed were sourced from local industry within a 500 kilometre radius of the airport. Further, a “forest to frame” system was created to track as much of the wood as possible back to its forest of origin. The spectacularly scaled structure promotes access to natural light, views of the forested landscape, and the incorporation of a multitude of biophilic elements. The subtle composition of the terminal’s interior, arranged as a series of rooms, takes its cues from the city’s urban fabric.

San Francisco International Airport Terminal 1 by Gensler and Kuth Ranieri Architects

San Francisco, United States

San Francisco International Airport Terminal 1 by Gensler and Kuth Ranieri Architects. Image credit: Jason O’Rear

Description: In response to one of its main objectives, the renovation has reduced the building’s carbon footprint by 79% and its energy usage by 59%. With soft natural light filtering through to every level, the new terminal provides a soothing, restorative setting for travellers. The architecture unfurls in a celebration of arts and crafts that reflects the unique character of the Bay Area. In fact, the airport is becoming a real cultural destination with the SFO Museum, the world’s only accredited museum at an airport, which allows more robust exhibits and art to be shared throughout the terminals.

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