Awards and recognition
On 17 June 2009 terminal T1 came into service, the infrastructure which confirmed the status of Barcelona-El Prat as a benchmark airport in Southern Europe. Since then, the airport installations have won several awards from institutions of different types.
In 2009 the airport received the Excellence in Logistics Award from Fundación ICIL for its procedural tests in terminal T1. It also won the Award for the Best National Project of the year at Barcelona Meeting Point and the El Vigía Award for the best infrastructure of the year. The media plan for the opening of the terminal was also recognised by the Col•legi de Periodistes de Catalunya in the crisis management category.
Terminal T1 has twice won the Award for the Best European Airport with more than 25 million passengers. This was presented by the Airport Council International (ACI) in 2010 and 2014. This prize recognises its excellent performance in all the key areas, thanks to its investment in infrastructure, its strong commitment to environmental sustainability, and its much wider range of new routes and international traffic.
In 2010 the network of Catalan tourism journalists, ACPETUR, honoured T1 with the Ali Bei Award for the best contribution to quality in tourism. The ESIC business school also presented it with the "ASTER Media Award for the "Volem" media campaign", launched for the opening of T1.
Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport won with the Skytrax Award for Best Airport in Southern Europe in four years, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2016. This is one of the World Airport Awards, which are based on surveys of around 11 million passengers from more than 100 countries. Barcelona-El Prat Airport was recognised by the digital publication Airline Network News & Analysis with the 2012 Euro Annie Award as the airport with most passenger growth in Europe in the top category (more than 10 million passengers). Likewise, in 2017 Airline Network News and Analysis (www.anna.aero) recognised the Barcelona airport as the airport with the most new long-haul routes of the year (between August 2016 and August 2017), and in 2018 ACI Europe awarded it the Highly Commended Distinction in the category of over 25 million passengers in the Best Airport Awards.
Following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport focused its efforts on implementing health measures that would guarantee the safety of passengers and its staff. Those efforts earned it ACI Europe’s Airport Health Accreditation (AHA) certification in 2021, a 5-star rating from the prestigious Skytrax consultancy's “Covid-19 Safety Ratings” programme and the Covid-19 Airport Excellence Award from Skytrax. The airport was also the recipient of a distinction in 2022, with the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Award for Best Hygiene Measures in the European region.
The Airport has been recognised for its sustainability and passenger experience efforts, earning ACI Europe's Level 3 Airport Carbon Accreditation in 2021, and in 2022 and 2023 the Highly Commended Distinction in the over 40 million passengers category at the Best Airport Awards, as wells as ACI Europe's The Voice of the Customer Recognition and the Best Innovation in Passenger-Related Processes award from Airports Council International (ACI) and Amadeus.
In 2024, the Airports Council International (ACI) has awarded it the Best Airport in Europe with more than 40 million passengers and the Most Enjoyable Airport in Europe recognition for its range of services, retail, catering and entertainment.