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Manchester has one of the best airports in Europe, according to the Airports Council International (ACI), a self-proclaimed ‘voice’ of the global aviation industry. The airport was honoured alongside Lyon, Malta, and Barcelona at a glitzy ceremony in Milan, Italy.

Despite frequent criticism of its expansion plans, Manchester Airport has always proved popular with travel agents, trade and cargo firms, and anybody with a vested interest in the aviation industry; in fact, the hub has claimed over 90 awards since 1990, including nine ‘best airport’ accolades.

The ACI judges were bowled over by Manchester’s commitment to security, particularly its efforts to test the full-body scanner in a working environment. The airport’s customer service standards and the quality of retail opportunities at the site were also praised. Manchester chief, Geoff Muirhead, claimed the ACI award on 18 June.

‘We want to be one of the world’s best airports and providing high quality customer service is at the heart of our strategy to achieve this goal,’ Mr. Muirhead explained. ‘This award is a real tribute to the hard work of everyone at the airport.’

The ACI awards are divided into a number of categories, according to the size of the airports included in them. Lyon, France, claimed the trophy for the best airport with 5-10m passengers, whilst Barcelona, Spain, snatched the award for the best hub with over 25m visitors a year. Malta was also honoured as the best small airport in Europe.

Manchester featured in the 10-25m category, and was the only airport in the UK to have been nominated for the award.