Australia’s airports ranked: From the worst to the best, here’s my verdict

June 17, 2026 — 5:00am You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. There was a big kerfuffle recently when Melbourne Airport announced a change to its pick-up and drop-off structure, effectively ending the practice of drivers dropping their passengers at the terminal doors.

Now, they’ll have to wave goodbye from a central transport hub, connected to terminals 1, 2 and 3 via a footbridge. Is this a disaster? Is it the worst thing in the world?

Surely not, when you consider the traffic congestion that’s so frequent at Melbourne Airport, and the fact the footbridge isn’t all that long. Still, it sparked big reactions, because people tend to care a lot about airports, particularly the airports in their own cities. These facilities are a source of frequent frustration and occasional pride, something to complain about while also taunting interstate friends whose airports are even worse.

But which city really does have the best airport in Australia? How does Melbourne Airport, rated our nation’s best at the World Airport Awards, truly rank against its interstate competitors? These are my humble and completely non-biased opinions of worst to best.

Sign up for the Traveller newsletter The latest travel news, tips and inspiration delivered to your inbox. Sign up now. Pros It’s always nice (OK, it’s usually nice) when an airport feels like it properly represents the city it services, and you can say that for Darwin.

There’s an easy-breezy feel here, with plenty of Indigenous art on the walls and a good range of local souvenirs for panic buying. It’s also only 15 minutes from the city centre. Cons Check-in counters at Darwin don’t open until 90 minutes, or at best two hours, before your flight, and there’s only one cafe on the land side, which means if you show up early you’re in for a boring wait with very few facilities.

Rating 5/10 Pros Like Darwin, Hobart is a modest airport, though it serves almost twice as many passengers annually, and has had to play catch-up to the tourism boom in the Apple Isle. Still, this facility is easy to reach from the city, easy to navigate, and recent security screening upgrades have smoothed things further. Cons There’s a $200 million terminal upgrade taking place right now, due to finish next year, and it will certainly be welcome because Hobart Airport feels very cramped, with few places to sit and little to do in the departures area.

Rating 5.5/10 Pros Perth will, eventually, be great, once all the planned works are completed. For now, super-speedy train access from the city is a huge plus (provided you’re flying domestic), automated customs gates have helped ease congestion and the terminals themselves are simple to navigate.

Cons Clearly the main drama in Perth is the separation of terminals 1 and 2 from terminals 3 and 4 – it’s about a 15-minute drive if you’re transferring, with no option to get there any faster. There’s a massive infrastructure overhaul taking place that will centralise the terminals, but that won’t be finished for five or more years. Rating 5.

5/10 Pros The recent extensions in the Gold Coast are certainly welcome, and if you’re flying internationally you will luxuriate in spacious gate lounges leading to air bridges for boarding. The tight layout at the Gold Coast also means you’ll never get lost and transfers are a breeze. Security screening is also friendly and efficient.

Cons The dirty secret about Gold Coast Airport is that it’s not in the Gold Coast – half the runway isn’t even in Queensland. If you’re staying in Surfers Paradise it will take almost 40 minutes in a taxi to get to the airport (if the traffic is good), and more than an hour on public transport. Domestic departure gates are also frequently overcrowded and there’s little seating in the extended areas.

Rating 6/10 Pros This is Australia’s third-busiest airport, and yet in the domestic terminal at least the experience is usually smooth through check-in, security and boarding. Pick-up and drop-off is a breeze, there’s a dedicated train line from the city and food and beverage options run the gamut from ramen to Red Rooster. Cons Transferring between terminals is a pain in Brisbane, requiring a shuttle bus, a train ride or a taxi.

And though I’m old enough to remember the pride we Queenslanders took when the new international terminal opened in 1995, like me it’s starting to feel old and cramped. Rating 6.5/10 Pros I have to admit: I’ve never been to Canberra Airport.

Any time I visit the nation’s capital, I just drive. So I can’t in good conscience give this facility a score. By all accounts, Canberra has an excellent airport, with a spacious, modern terminal, short check-in and security lines, and a location just 10 minutes from the city centre.

Cons Canberra Airport only handles about 3 million passengers a year – similar to Hobart. It’s a shame one of our best facilities is seldom used. Rating N/A, though I’m willing to believe this sho