The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai has once again made India proud. It has been named one of the top 10 international airports in the world in the Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards 2025. This is the third year in a row that Mumbai’s airport has made it to this prestigious list. It received a reader score of 84.23 and is the only airport from India to be featured this year.

Who topped the list?

The rankings were mostly led by airports in Asia and the Middle East. Istanbul Airport in Turkey took the top spot with a high score of 98.57. It was followed by Changi Airport in Singapore and Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar. The top five also included Zayed Airport in Abu Dhabi and Dubai International Airport. Other airports that made the list were from Hong Kong, Finland, Tokyo, and South Korea. Mumbai’s CSMIA was ranked 9th in the world.

These rankings are based on a global survey by Travel + Leisure magazine. Around 180,000 readers took part, casting over 650,000 votes. Airports were judged not just for efficiency, but also for things like smart design, tasty food options, and smooth passenger experiences. Mumbai Airport is spread across 1,900 acres and is the world’s busiest single-runway airport. In 2024-25, it handled over 55 million passengers and nearly 1,000 flights every day. It connects to 54 international and 67 domestic destinations.

CSMIA has recently made many upgrades. It now offers paperless travel using facial recognition through DigiYatra. It also has new electronic gates, self-check-in kiosks, digital payment options, and an advanced Airport Operations Control Centre (AOCC). It was the first airport in India to get a Level 5 Airport Customer Experience certificate from Airports Council International (ACI), the highest level. In March, it was also named the Best Airport for over 40 million passengers in Asia-Pacific, for the eighth year in a row.

CSMIA is operated by Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), a partnership between Adani Airport Holdings (74%) and the Airports Authority of India (26%). The Adani Group is now the biggest private airport operator in India.