Cologne Bonn Airport is Certified as a 4-Star Regional Airport
Cologne Bonn has been awarded the global 4-Star Regional Airport quality rating by SKYTRAX, the international air transport rating organisation.
The Audit of Cologne Bonn Airport was completed by the SKYTRAX audit team in June 2026, and the airport has made a number of improvements that have improved the overall customer journey, including new airside seating in Terminal 2 with increased provision of seat power, the addition of new restaurants and cafés, and the new centralised security checkpoint with modern CT technology.
“The four-star rating is a fantastic result and an important confirmation that we are on the right track,” says Thilo Schmid, CEO of Flughafen Köln/Bonn GmbH. “With our ‘Next Chapter’ program, we are making targeted investments in the airport’s future viability. The rating shows that these changes are visible and noticeable. For us, this is both recognition and motivation.”
New airside boarding gate seating
The new central security checkpoint, the modernised airside gate areas in Terminal 2, the digital services and offerings, and the user-friendly design of the website were particularly well rated, and the airport’s dining options, as well as its connectivity and accessibility, were also rated as very good. Together with its partner Autogrill, the airport has created 18 new restaurants and cafés featuring a variety of dining concepts. New shopping options, modernized duty-free areas, and a new lounge concept round out these enhancements.
“Our goal is to continuously improve processes at the airport to make travel even easier, more comfortable, and more customer-friendly for our passengers and to steadily enhance their travel experience,” says Managing Director Cenk Özöztürk. “The Skytrax rating shows that we have succeeded in many areas—we’re very pleased about this, and it’s a great source of motivation.”
In 2025, Cologne Bonn Airport passenger traffic was 10.1 million passengers. Routes to tourist destinations such as Spain, Turkey and Greece were particularly in demand. In the 2026 summer timetable, 26 airlines connect Cologne/Bonn with 115 destinations in 38 countries; twelve destinations being new additions, including further capital city connections such as Belgrade, Tbilisi and Bucharest.v
Nakha is a Levantine-inspired restaurant in T2 airside
Edward Plaisted, CEO of SKYTRAX, said, “The 4-Star Airport certification for Cologne Bonn Airport reflects good standards across the passenger journey. The airport has made excellent progress in upgrading and updating passenger facilities, and with further improvements coming in 2026 and 2027, this is expected to further strengthen overall consistency and the quality of the airport experience here.”
The airport is investing invest in products and processes, with a prime example being the new security checkpoint fully converted to the latest CT technology, a key component in enhancing travel comfort and streamlining operations.
Commenting on the 4-Star Rating for Cologne Bonn Airport, Edward Plaisted of Skytrax said: “the airport is
THE 4-STAR REGIONAL AIRPORT RATING
The 4-Star Airport Rating is a prestigious and unique mark of Quality Achievement and a global benchmark of Airport Excellence, which is awarded following detailed audit analysis and assessment of each airport’s product and front-line service standards. The World Airport Star Rating was introduced by Skytrax in 1999 and is a premier evaluation system grading airports on their quality standards.
The 4-Star Airport rating recognises those airports that are providing good standards of facilities and staff service to customers across all front-line areas of the airport environment.
ABOUT SKYTRAX
Skytrax, the International air transport rating organisation, was established in 1989 and is based in London, United Kingdom. The World Airport Rating programme is a leading international Rating system operating since 1999, which classifies airports across the globe by the quality of product and staff service.
