Adelaide Airport has taken two top honours at Routes Asia 2026, leading a strong showing from Australian aviation alongside Melbourne Airport and Qantas.
Adelaide Airport scored a double, being named Overall Winner and also taking out the 5–20 million passengers category for the second consecutive year.
The awards were announced on 14 April during Routes Asia 2026 in Xi’an, China, recognising excellence in airport and destination marketing across the region.
Other winners included Langkawi International Airport, Melbourne Airport, Sanya Tourism Board and Qantas Airways, highlighting a diverse mix of aviation and tourism players driving network growth across Asia Pacific.
“This achievement is a testament to the trust and support of our airline friends, whose collaboration continues to fuel Adelaide’s remarkable growth and enhance our city’s presence on the global map,” said Adelaide Airport head of Aviation Business Development and Commercial Jonathan Cheong.
“Airlines remain the backbone of connectivity – bringing people, communities and businesses together – and Adelaide Airport is proud to support that every day. Together, we are opening new opportunities, improving connectivity and supporting trade and tourism across South Australia.”
Standout year
Adelaide Airport’s win follows a standout year, handling nine million passengers in 2025, up 21 per cent year-on-year and above pre-pandemic levels. Key milestones included securing its first nonstop service to the United States with United Airlines launching flights to San Francisco, alongside Indonesia AirAsia commencing Bali services. The airport also welcomed the return of Cathay Pacific from Hong Kong and saw China Southern Airlines extend its Guangzhou service to year-round.
Adelaide Airport also achieved record passenger numbers for February, with 692,000 people passing through the terminal, a 4.7 per cent increase on the previous year.
International passenger numbers surged in the month following the significant increase in capacity over the past year. A total of 105,000 international passengers passed through the airport in February, a 33.1 per cent increase on the year prior.
The Routes Asia wins follow Adelaide Airport being awarded Best Airport Staff in the Australia & Pacific and Best Regional Airport in the Australia & Pacific region at the Skytrax World Airport Awards in London last month.
Other winners
Melbourne Airport took out the Over 20 Million Passengers category following a record-breaking year, handling 37 million passengers and expanding to a record 42 airlines. Network gains included Delta Air Lines launching Los Angeles services and Shenzhen Airlines introducing flights from Shenzhen.
Meanwhile, Qantas Airways secured the Airline category, continuing its post-pandemic network rebuild with more than 40 new domestic routes, 25 international routes and plans to launch additional services in 2026, including the first scheduled Australia–Las Vegas flights.
Elsewhere, Langkawi International Airport claimed the Under 5 Million Passengers category after recording nearly 12 per cent growth to 2.9 million passengers and expanding its network to seven carriers, supported by new scheduled and charter links from markets including Warsaw, Tashkent and Chengdu.
The Destination award went to Sanya Tourism Board, recognised for boosting connectivity with 43 international routes across 33 cities, driving inbound overnight visitation up 41.4 per cent to more than 1.06 million in 2025.
Finalists in the Airport and Destination categories were judged by a panel of airline representatives, while the Airline category was assessed by an editorial panel.
