Newcastle International Airport has won the Overall Winner award at the Routes World Awards 2024, also retaining the under 5m passenger award for the second year in a row, recognising its contributions to global air connectivity. British Airways won the aiorine award.
The ceremony, held in Bahrain, honored eight winners, including Edmonton International Airport (5-10 m passengers), Prague Airport (10-20 m), and Brussels Airport (over 20 m), each acknowledged for significant route development and growth.
The Deputy Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Cyprus won the Destination category for enhancing air connectivity and attracting new carriers, while British Airways received the Airline award for its strategic network development and sustainability efforts.
Additionally, Michael Garko from Sun Country Airlines was recognized as the Rising Star for his role in expanding operational reach, and Jay L Lingeswara from VietJet Air received the Individual Leadership Award for his impactful contributions to the airline’s growth.
- Airport under 5 Million: Newcastle International Airport
- Airport 5-10 Million: Edmonton International Airport
- Airport 10-20 Million: Prague Airport
- Airport over 20 Million: Brussels Airport
- Destination: Deputy Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Cyprus
- Airline – British Airways
- Rising Star – Michael Garko, Senior Network & Scheduling Analyst, Sun Country Airlines
- Individual Leadership – Jay L Lingeswara, Vice President, Commercial, VietJet Air
- Overall Winner – Newcastle International Airport
The winners were revealed on October 7, 2024, at the Networking Evening. The full shortlist of finalists was:
- Airlines; Aegean Airlines; British Airways; KLM Royal Dutch Airlines; SunExpress; Wizz Air;
- Airports under 5 Million: Curaçao International Airport; Halifax International Airport Authority; Newcastle International Airport; Olbia – Costa Smeralda Airport; Tallinn Airport;
- Airports 5-10 Million: Adelaide Airport; Cape Town International Airport; Edmonton International Airport; Keflavik-Reykjavik Airport; Larnaka International Airport;
- Airports 10-20 Million: Budapest Airport; Calgary International Airport; Edinburgh Airport; Hamburg Airport; Prague Airport;
- Airports over 20 Million: Athens International Airport; Singapore Changi Airport; Brussels Airport; Vienna Airport; London Gatwick Airport;
- Destination: Visit Cyprus; Japan National Tourism Organization; Malta Tourism Authority; Promotur – Canary Islands Tourist Board; Department of Tourism, Philippines;
- Individual Leadership Trent Banfield, International Operations & Aviation Development Manager at Tourism Australia; Majid Khan, CEO at Saudi Air Connectivity Program; Ioanna Papadopoulou, Director, Communications & Marketing at Athens International Airport; Jay L Lingeswara, Vice President, Commercial at VietJet Air;
- Rising Star Michael Garko, Senior Network & Scheduling Analyst at Sun Country Airlines; Adda Malín Vilhjálmsdóttir, Key Account Manager Airline Relations & Route Development at Keflavík Airport; Sarah Bin Moammar, Sr. Specialist Aviation Development at Saudi Air Connectivity Program; Maricella Valdivia, Manager – Network Planning at Cebu Pacific; Nina Mulhall, Head of Aviation Business Development at Aeropuertos Argentina;
