Norway leads Europe's best airports list
AirHelp, a passenger rights organisation, has just released its annual global airport ranking, assessing performance based on punctuality, passenger satisfaction and service quality.
And, while major hubs like Paris Charles de Gaulle and London Gatwick failed to impress, several smaller European airports stood out for their reliability and customer care.
Cape Town International Airport in South Africa ranked first overall, scoring 8.6 for punctuality and 8.7 for customer opinion to top a list of 250 international airports from 68 different countries.
The best-performing airport in Europe overall was Bergen Flesland in Norway, which came 9th globally and topped European airports for punctuality.
Other high scorers in Europe included Bilbao Airport in Spain's Basque region (16th), Bodø Airport (23rd) and Oslo Gardermoen (28th), also in Norway, and Reykjavik Keflavík in Iceland (30th).Despite ranking 130th overall, Luxembourg Airport scored 9.0 for customer opinion, putting it atop all other European airports in that category, while Amsterdam Schiphol (111th overall) scored highest in Europe for food and drinks, scoring 8.3.Meanwhile, and perhaps unsurprisingly, given recent air-traffic control strikes and criticism about the country's performance, France's best-scoring airport, Toulouse-Blagnac, ranked just 101st globally.Still, it topped the French list for the second year running, earning solid scores for punctuality and customer satisfaction, though it rated slightly lower for shopping and dining. In 181st, Paris Charles de Gaulle performed poorly across all metrics, with frequent delays and low customer ratings dragging down its score.London Gatwick ranked 235th, with low marks across the board.All three still outperformed Europe's worst airport, Rhodes Diagoras. The Greek island air hub scored a paltry 6.05, with a 5.8 for punctuality. That score put it in 249th, one spot above the world's worst by these metrics, Tunis Carthage Airport.AirHelp's methodology gives the most weight – 60 per cent – to on-time performance, based on flights departing or arriving within 15 minutes of their scheduled time. Rhodes Diagoras' score of 5.8 for punctuality, for example, translates to 58 per cent of flights running on schedule.The remaining 40 per cent is split evenly between passenger feedback on airport staff, cleanliness and general experience, and services offered, such as restaurants and retail.The bulk of the data was gathered from multiple vendors and cross-referenced with statistics from government agencies, airports, flight-tracking vendors and historical resources. To gather user reviews, AirHelp surveyed travellers in more than 58 countries and gathered more than 13,500 unique airport ratings.The rankings cover only airports with a substantial number of international flights, using data collected between 1 June 2024 to 31 May 2025.While delays and cancellations are often beyond an airport's control, the highest-performing airports tend to be those that combine operational efficiency with attentive service and clear communication.According to AirHelp's findings, travellers looking to reduce their stress this summer may want to opt for smaller regional airports in Scandinavia, where the odds of a smooth journey are markedly better than at the continent's biggest transport hubs. — Euronews
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Saudi Gazette
2 days ago
- Saudi Gazette
Greece warns of 'invasion' as it halts asylum on Med route
HERAKLION, Crete — In the center of a sweltering, cavernous hall, rows of men sit in silence with nothing to occupy them but the wait. Signs from an old tourist fair propped up behind them urge visitors to "Explore the Beauty of Nature" with illustrations of coves and beaches in Crete. But those held in the former Ayia exhibition centre did not come to the Greek island as holidaymakers. They are migrants who risked a journey across the sea from Libya to Europe's southern tip and were then detained and denied the right to apply for asylum. From Crete, they are now being moved to closed facilities on the mainland. The right for anyone to request protection, or asylum, is inscribed in EU and international law and in the constitution of Greece itself. But in a move implemented in haste earlier this month and criticised by human rights lawyers, the government has over-ridden that principle for the next three months at least. The new migration minister, Thanos Plevris, has told the BBC his country faces a "state of emergency". He warns of an "invasion" if Europe does not enact tough measures and talks of the need for strong deterrence. "Anyone who comes will be detained and returned," he stresses. Now even people fleeing war in Sudan are locked up with no chance to explain their story. Inside the old exhibition centre, migrants were warned off speaking to us by the guards. "They're in detention," we were told. Greece is baking in a heatwave and many of the men were in vests or stripped to the waist. There were a few water taps around the edges but no proper showers and only grubby blankets on the floor. Boxes of donated clothes and toys piled up by the door remained unpacked by guards wary of provoking fights. Over two days we saw just a couple of hundred migrants at Ayia – from countries including Egypt, Bangladesh and Yemen, we heard, as well as Sudan. There were 20 or so teenage boys and two women sitting together at the back. But when 900 people landed from Libya during one weekend earlier this month, the facility was stretched to the limit. More than 7,000 migrants reached Crete between January and late June, more than three times the number in 2024. In all, the EU's Frontex border agency recorded almost 20,000 crossings in the Eastern Mediterranean in that period, with the Libya-Crete corridor now the main route. Traffickers began sending people to Crete in earnest after Italy signed a deeply controversial deal with Libya a couple of years ago that allows for migrants to be intercepted at sea and pushed back despite extensive evidence of human rights abuses. It was mid-July when the government in Athens made its own move. "The road to Greece is closing," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told parliament, announcing that all migrants "entering illegally" would be arrested. A few days later, Mustafa – a 20-year old who ran from the war in Sudan – was detained. From Ayia he was transferred to a camp outside Athens known as Amygdaleza, rows of grey prefabricated huts in a parched clearing surrounded by tall fences and security cameras. "We are living here like a prison," Mustafa told me, when I managed to make contact by phone. "They don't allow us to move. We don't have clothes or shoes. Our situation is very bad." Lawyers who have visited Amygdaleza confirm his account, describing recent arrivals walking barefoot on baking hot soil and receiving minimal information. Ordinarily, Sudanese citizens would be granted asylum in Europe. In a series of voice and text messages, Mustafa recounted how he had spent months in dire conditions in Libya waiting for his chance to cross. He was then at sea for two days with 38 people crammed on to a plastic boat that had to be rescued. "We didn't manage to reach [land] because of the waves." Having survived that ordeal, he is now scared Greece will try to return him. "I left my country because of the war, I can't go back," Mustafa said. "I come from Sudan because there is war in Sudan and I want protection. That's why I came here." "Now we do not know what our fate will be." The Greek migration minister describes himself as "hardline" on immigration. "It's clear a country cannot accept such pressure from migration and not react," Thanos Plevris defended the government's new measures. He claimed that Crete had been receiving "one, two, three thousand people a day" from Libya when it stepped in, though he then scaled that back to "close to a thousand" in three days, when challenged. Plevris has no qualms about withholding the right to request asylum, suggesting that Sudanese refugees could simply stay in Libya. "I want to be completely honest. We try to strike a balance between respect for their rights and respects for the people in Greece," the minister was firm. "Anyone who enters Greek territory over the next three months knows they are violating Greek law." The European Commission says it's "looking into" the move. A spokesperson told the BBC the situation was "an exception" because the surge in small boat arrivals had "possible consequences in terms of European security". Poland also halted asylum applications on its eastern border back in March, though with various exceptions. Greece itself did so previously in 2020 during an increase in arrivals from Turkey. Certain obligations of the European Convention on Human Rights can be overridden "in time of war or other public emergency threatening the life of the nation". Whether the current situation constitutes such a grave threat to either Poland or Greece is much disputed. "This article is for war or a massive uprising," argues Dimitris Fourakis, a lawyer who works extensively with migrants in Crete and sees a troubling trend across Europe. He warns that detention centres will quickly fill up, too, as "sending migrants back" is easy to say but extremely difficult to do. "I think it's a decision that is completely illegal. It's a very big step, very wrong step. And I think the best they can is to stop it immediately," the lawyer says. The increase in small boat arrivals came just as the beaches and bars of Crete were filling up for the summer and the migration minister says protecting the tourist industry is his priority. "I've never seen any migrants," admits Andreas Lougiakis, a restaurant owner in the pretty village of Paleochora on the southern coast who says the boats mostly reach the tiny island of Gavdos. Even talk of their arrival is bad for business though. "We feel sad for these people of course, but... people think this place is full of immigrants; no beaches available, no place," Andreas says. "We are just worried for our business and for our families." The suspension of asylum is part of a much broader crackdown on irregular migrants here. The minister plans to jail all those who fail to leave Greece when their asylum request is rejected and use electronic tags for surveillance. He has also promised a "drastic review" of benefits. Claiming that "millions" in North Africa are poised to cross to Europe, citing conversations in Libya, Plevris suggests other countries should be grateful for his resolve. "You should know that if the countries on the border of the EU do not take tough measures, then all this flow of migrants will be directed towards your societies," he warns. "Greece used to say it before but back then, no-one listened." Each evening, as the sky over Crete turns orange, the coast guard escorts a group of migrants to port and on to the night passenger ferry for Athens. When the number of arrivals climbed earlier this month, they struggled to find space on board. The minister insists the suspension of asylum rights is a temporary step, most likely only for summer. High winds rather than government resolve seems to have slowed the flow of boats for now. But the move has raised concerns about how readily governments can discard a fundamental right in the name of security. It also leaves huge questions for those like Mustafa from Sudan, who fled war, and have now been detained in Europe. — BBC
Asharq Al-Awsat
2 days ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Anti-war Demonstrators Protest the Arrival of an Israeli Cruise Ship on the Greek Island of Crete
Demonstrators calling for an end to the war in Gaza protested the arrival of an Israeli cruise ship on another Greek island Tuesday – the third such protest on Greek islands in the last week. Protesters on the southern Greek island of Crete unfurled a huge Palestinian flag at the port of Agios Nikolaos and shouted 'Free, free Palestine' as the tourists on board the Crown Iris disembarked and left on buses for their tours of the island, according to images shown on local media outlets. Riot police kept the crowd away from the pier where the cruise ship was docked, while scuffles broke out between demonstrators and police. Local media reported that officers used pepper spray at one point to keep the crowd back. Four people were detained, local media said. Video showed police leading one man away, his arms cuffed behind his back, as he shouted 'Free, free Palestine.' Similar scenes unfolded the previous day when the Crown Iris docked in a port on the eastern Greek island of Rhodes, where clashes broke out between riot police and demonstrators calling for an end to the war in Gaza. There also, the cruise ship's passengers disembarked for tours of the island, and no violence was reported. Anti-war protesters on Greece's Cycladic island of Syros were the first to hold a demonstration against the docking of the Crown Iris, on July 22. The crowd of about 150 people chanted slogans and carried banners that read 'Stop the Genocide' and 'No a/c in hell' — a reference to the conditions Palestinians face in the Gaza Strip. On that occasion, the ship's roughly 1,700 passengers didn't disembark and the ship left the island earlier than planned, with the company operating the trip, Israel's Mano Cruise, saying it had 'decided in light of the situation in the city of Syros to now sail to another tourist destination.' Last week's incident had triggered a phone call by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar to Greek counterpart George Gerapetritis. Greece is a popular tourist destination for Israelis on package tours and traveling independently, particularly in the summer months, and there are several flights per day between Tel Aviv and Athens, as well as from Israeli airports directly to Greek islands.
Al Arabiya
25-07-2025
- Al Arabiya
Maui panel passes bill to curb vacation rentals and boost housing supply after Lahaina wildfire
Lawmakers on Maui passed legislation Thursday aimed at eliminating a large percentage of the Hawaiian islands' vacation rentals to address a housing shortage exacerbated by the wildfire that destroyed most of Lahaina two years ago. It's the latest action by a top global tourist destination to push back against the infiltration of vacationers into residential neighborhoods and tourism overwhelming their communities. In May, Spain ordered Airbnb to block more than 65,000 holiday listings on its platform for having violated rules. Last month, thousands of protesters in European cities like Barcelona and Venice, Italy, marched against the ills of overtourism. The Maui County Council's housing committee voted 6-3 to pass the bill, which would close a loophole that has allowed owners of condos in apartment zones to rent their units for days or weeks at a time instead of a minimum of 180 days. The mandate would take effect in the West Maui district that includes Lahaina in 2028. The rest of the county would have until 2030 to comply. The council still needs to vote on the bill, but the committee's result is a strong indication of the final outcome because all nine council members sit on the housing panel. The mayor is expected to sign the bill, which he proposed. 'Bill 9 is a critical first step in restoring our commitment to prioritize housing for local residents – and securing a future where our keiki can live, grow, and thrive in the place they call home,' Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said in a statement, using the Hawaiian word for children. Vacation rentals take up one-fifth of Maui's housing. Vacation rentals currently account for 21 percent of all housing in the county, which has a population of about 165,000 people. An analysis by University of Hawaii economists predicted the measure would add 6,127 units to Maui's long-term housing stock, increasing supply by 13 percent. Opponents questioned whether local residents could afford the condos in question, noting that many of the buildings they are in are aging, and their units come with high mortgages, insurance payments, maintenance, and special assessment costs. Alicia Humiston said her condo is in a hotel zone, so it won't be affected, but she predicted the measure will hurt housekeepers, plumbers, electricians, and other small business owners who help maintain vacation rentals. 'It's not what's best for the community,' said Humiston, who is president of the Rentals by Owner Awareness Association. Bissen proposed the legislation last year after wildfire survivors and activists camped out on a beach popular with tourists to demand change. 'Mayor says tourism will continue but must not hollow out our neighborhoods.' The University of Hawaii study said because only about 600 new housing units are built in the county each year, converting the vacation rentals would be equivalent to a decade's worth of new housing development. Condo prices would drop 20-40 percent, the study estimated. The report also predicted one-quarter of Maui County's visitor accommodations would disappear, and visitor spending would sink 15 percent. It estimated gross domestic product would contract by 4 percent. The mayor said such economic analysis failed to tell a full story, noting families are torn apart when high housing costs drive out relatives, and that cultural knowledge disappears when generations leave Maui. The mayor told the council the bill was one part of a broader housing strategy that would include building new housing, investing in infrastructure, and stopping illegally operated vacation rentals. He said there were limits to how much new housing could be built because of constraints on water supplies and sewer infrastructure. 'Tourism would continue on Maui but must do so in a way that doesn't hollow out our neighborhoods,' the mayor said. The mayor's staff told council members that visitor spending would decline with the measure, but most of the drop would be on lodging. Because 94 percent of those who own vacation rentals in apartment zones don't live on Maui, they said much of this income already flows off-island. They predicted the county budget could withstand an estimated 61 million decline in annual tax revenue resulting from the measure.
