Malta International Airport wins ACI cleanliness award for first time

Malta International Airport has claimed the Airports Council International Cleanliness Award for the first time, a recognition that underscores the operator's investment in passenger experience and sanitation standards.

The award, announced by ACI on Tuesday, is based on feedback from departing passengers collected throughout 2025 across 383 airports worldwide. About a third of those airports were in Europe.

Malta International Airport outperformed the European average across all 31 satisfaction indicators measured by the Airport Service Quality survey programme. The indicators cover every aspect of the airport journey, from signage inside the terminal to the helpfulness of frontline staff.

The airport earned its top score of 4.60 for its security screening process, which passengers ranked as the second most important contributor to their overall experience. Satisfaction at security rose markedly compared to 2024, reflecting recent investment in new scanners and process improvements.

Jeanette Zammit, who is responsible for customer experience at Malta International Airport, said feedback collected through the ASQ survey and other initiatives helps the team understand guest expectations and challenge themselves to exceed them through facility upgrades and training. She added that survey insights are shared with employees and stakeholders to foster a uniform culture of service excellence across the airport.

The Cleanliness Award marks a first for the airport, following increased passenger satisfaction with sanitation standards across the terminal, particularly the washroom facilities. Malta International Airport maintained consistently high cleanliness scores throughout 2025, even during peak season when roughly 35,400 passengers used terminal facilities daily.

The airport achieved a final cleanliness score of 4.39, surpassing the European average of 4.05.

Rosemarie Barbara, who leads the housekeeping effort at Malta International Airport, noted that cleaning rarely takes centre stage in discussions of service excellence but is a vital contributor to passengers' perception of the airport. She pointed to careful coordination between cleaning teams, schedules aligned with passenger flows, and real-time monitoring as key to maintaining high standards regardless of footfall.

Overall, Malta International Airport achieved a satisfaction score of 4.41 on a five-point scale, an improvement over 2024 and above the European average of 4.12. The airport has ranked among Europe's top airports in the 5 to 15 million passenger category for the eighth consecutive year.

For a tourism-dependent economy, the award signals that Malta's primary gateway is delivering at a level that strengthens the country's competitive position as a destination. Consistent high scores across all indicators, particularly during peak summer volumes, suggest operational discipline that directly supports the hospitality and tourism value chain.