Let's first be clear what we're talking about. Two very different airport rankings circulate regularly and are easily confused. One is Skytrax, which rewards comfort and experience above all — and no Spanish airport features in its top 10. The other is the AirHelp Score, and that's the one in question here. It measures more soberly: chiefly punctuality, plus passenger experience and service quality. For holidaymakers that is, frankly, the more relevant metric — because what good is the finest hall if the plane is forever delayed?

What the figures say

In the AirHelp Score 2026, five Spanish airports make the world's top 100. The Spanish field is led by Bilbao, which even ranks among Europe's three best. Behind it comes Seville, with a spectacular jump of 33 places to 35th. The rest of the Spanish quintet is València (89th) and Madrid-Barajas (92nd) — a solid, if improvable, placing for the country's biggest hub, with over 64 million passengers.

And Gran Canaria? Gando is expressly among this edition's big winners — alongside Seville, the ranking highlights the island as one of the most striking improvements. While most Spanish airports rather worsened compared with the previous year, Seville, Gran Canaria and Ibiza were among the few to improve. The year before, four Canary airports had newly entered the ranking anyway — Tenerife Norte, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote.

What it means for your journey A good AirHelp score means, above all, better odds of an on-time flight and therefore less stress over connections or transfers. If you have flexibility over your departure or connecting airport, scores like these can serve as one of several guides. For the Canaries the good news is simply this: Gando is heading in the right direction on reliability — a plus for the start of an island holiday.
Context: "world's best" with a sense of proportion Rankings are snapshots of a particular methodology. The AirHelp Score weights punctuality heavily — a different yardstick (say comfort or shopping) would crown different winners. "Among the world's best" here specifically means reliable and well-organised, not necessarily the most luxurious. And placings fluctuate from year to year. Cita.news reports the data without making more of it than it warrants.

Frequently asked questions

Which ranking is meant?
The AirHelp Score 2026, which rates 250 airports worldwide chiefly on punctuality, passenger experience and service quality. Not to be confused with the Skytrax ranking.
Which five Spanish airports are in the top 100?
Bilbao, Seville, Gran Canaria, València and Madrid-Barajas.
How does Gran Canaria do?
Gando is among this edition's biggest climbers and one of the few Spanish airports to have improved on the previous year.
And the other Canary airports?
The previous year, Tenerife Norte, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote newly entered the ranking. Several Canary airports are thus represented in the AirHelp Score.
Does "world's best" mean luxurious?
No. The AirHelp Score rewards reliability and organisation above all, not glamour. A punctual, well-functioning airport scores better here than a beautiful but unpunctual one.

Read on

CITA News on WhatsAppFollow the channel and keep up with the islands.Follow

As of 22/06/2026. Source: AirHelp Score 2026 (reported by El Mundo and others). The AirHelp Score rates airports on punctuality, passenger experience and service quality and is not the same as other rankings such as Skytrax. Placings depend on methodology and can change yearly. Illustration: Gran Canaria airport (Gando).