Another excuse to do your shopping at the airport
We don’t need to be told how great Zayed International Airport is, but we do love it when it gets recognised.
The latest award comes courtesy of the prestigious Frontier Awards 2025, held in Cannes during the TFWA World Exhibition & Conference, where Abu Dhabi’s airport was named ‘Best Airport for Retail’.
The award means that the airport is leading the way for innovation and customer experience in retail, ahead of other aviation hubs worldwide.
It stood out to judges for its design-forward spaces, innovative retail concepts and its partnerships with international brands.
Elena Sorlini, Managing Director and CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports, said of the achievement: “I am immensely proud of our team’s dedication over the past two years in positioning Zayed International Airport among the world’s leading retail destinations. These global recognitions reaffirm our belief that airports can enrich, delight, and embody the spirit and ambition of Abu Dhabi.”
This award follows the Prix Versailles last year, when Zayed International Aiport was considered the ‘most beautiful airport in the world’, out of 400 airports considered.
Earlier this year, it also was also named the “Best Airport at Arrivals Globally” by Airports Council International (ACI) World, at the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards.
If we combine the aesthetics, the retail experience and the amount of connections (that keep growing thanks to Etihad’s influx of new routes), it’s no wonder that passengers flying through the capital are going up drastically.
Just between January and June this year, the airport welcomed 15.5 million travellers – a number that will keep going up.
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