Where Art Meets Travel: The World's Most Architecturally Beautiful Airports
The Prix Versailles has unveiled its prestigious list of the world's most beautiful airports , an award that celebrates not only the aesthetics, but also the innovation, sustainability and cultural identity of the most iconic airport infrastructures.
Jérôme Gouadain , Secretary General of the Prix Versailles, highlights how these airports represent a balance between operational functionality and artistic expression, becoming true symbols of contemporary world heritage.
Airports are no longer just places of transit, but real architectural spaces that tell the story, culture and landscape of the places in which they are located. Around the world, some terminals stand out for their innovative design, attention to the environment and harmonious integration with the territory.
Prix Versailles: List of the most beautiful airports in the world 2025Each year, the Prix Versailles celebrates architectural excellence in airports around the world, rewarding structures that combine innovation, sustainability and harmony with the environment. In 2025 , the winners represent some of the most extraordinary examples of global airport design .
Winners are listed alphabetically by country.
- Yantai Penglai International Airport – terminal 2, Yantai, China
- Marseille Provence Airport – Terminal 1, Marignane, France
- Roland Garros Airport – Arrivals Terminal, Reunion Island, France
- Kansai International Airport – Terminal 1, Osaka , Japan
- Portland International Airport – Main Terminal, Portland, United States
- San Francisco International Airport – Terminal 1, San Francisco , United States
Covering 167,000 m², the architecture of the new Terminal 2 pays homage to the beautiful coastal landscape of Yantai in China. Aedas, in collaboration with CSWADI and the Shanghai New Era Airport Design and Research Institute, took inspiration from the imposing Kunyu Mountain for the undulating roofline, which conveys dynamism and harmony.
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The terminal’s E-shaped floor plan was designed to optimize passenger flow and minimize impact on the land. A key element of the project was operational flexibility, allowing for real-time adaptation of the spaces.
Natural light flows throughout the terminal, culminating in a diagonally gridded glass dome. The interior curves, materials and tones recall the surrounding nature, with reinterpretations of wooden hulls dotted around, in homage to the Maritime Silk Road . The building is the new emblem of the Shandong Peninsula and symbolizes openness and connection.
Marseille Provence Airport – Terminal 1A new, bright “ Cœur ” – Heart – designed by Foster + Partners, now unifies Terminal 1 with a 22,000 m² extension that conveys peace, without expanding the terminal’s footprint.
This hall is constructed of 70% recycled steel and features an inverted beam roof and a grid of skylights framed in polished aluminum that allow for natural ventilation. The project involved the restoration of 28,000 m² of space, respecting the original 1960s terminal by Fernand Pouillon.
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Today, travelers pass through security checks under a wooden canopy, and the shopping and dining areas are inspired by the boat houses of the Old Port of Marseille . The glass facades, with views of the Provençal hinterland on one side and a maritime lagoon on the other, offer maximum transparency.
Roland Garros Airport – Arrivals TerminalMore than an extension, the new 13,000 m² arrivals terminal on Reunion Island in France is the first tropical bioclimatic airport facility of its scale in the world.
On an island subject to increasingly intense weather phenomena, this technical feat was achieved with the contribution of 91% local companies. One of the most daring elements is the central “ canyon ” that defines the form and function of the building, and acts as a thermal chimney to allow natural ventilation.
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