Three of Regional and City Airports’ facilities have been rated as among the best in the UK by consumer champions Which?, with two ranking in the top five.

Norwich, Exeter and Bournemouth have all been rated amongst the top ten airports in Britain following Which?'s annual airport survey of its members, seeking their feedback on a variety of airport experiences, with customer scores calculated based on a combination of overall satisfaction and likeliness to recommend to others.

Norwich Airport has been rated one of the best airports in the UK for customer experience and has received ‘Recommended Provider’ status by the consumer organisation following a customer score of 78%, ranking it third in the UK overall.

Exeter Airport had a customer score of 77%, putting it among the top five airports in the country and fourth overall, while Bournemouth Airport’s  five star rating for its staff saw it placed sixth in the national rankings, with London City taking second place (80%) and Liverpool (John Lennon) Airport ranked number one with a score of 81%.

In April this year, Which? surveyed almost 5,000 members about their experiences at UK airports in the previous 12 months. Respondents were invited to rate the airports across 11 categories, including seating, staff, toilets and queues at check in, bag drop, passport control and security.

On the whole, the consumer champion found smaller airports once again performed better than their larger rivals this year - with respondents reporting shorter queues, and a generally less stressful experience. 

Andrew Bell, CEO of Regional & City Airports (RCA), said: “We are incredibly proud to see three of our airports recognised as amongst the best in the UK for customer experience by Which?. These accolades are a testament to the dedication of our entire team, who work tirelessly to ensure that every passenger in every location has a smooth and enjoyable journey.

“Being acknowledged by our passengers, who have firsthand experience of our services, is particularly rewarding and reinforces our commitment to delivering excellence. This recognition, along with our continued growth and new flights, highlights the significant strides we are making in both passenger satisfaction and regional connectivity."

The accolade continues a year of success for RCA, which has seen pre-tax profits soar to £14.24m from £1.31m on the back of a 20% rise in revenue following a 15% increase in passenger numbers and growing cargo volumes.

RCA currently owns and operates Bournemouth, Exeter, Norwich and Coventry Airports and holds a management contract for Solent Airport. With its expertise, RCA also carries out consultancy commissions at other airports and airfields. Additionally, RCA operates the XLR Executive Jet Centres FBO business that currently has operations at Birmingham, Bournemouth, Liverpool, and Exeter Airports. 

In the last year RCA served over 1.7m passengers, handled over 19,000 tonnes of cargo and managed over 131,000 aircraft movements, serving as a gateway to and from the UK for trade and the 6m people that live in the airports’ passenger catchment areas.