French airports in the top 100

Only two French airports, Paris-Le Bourget and Montpellier-Méditerranée, appear in the top 100 European airports according to a study by AirHelp, which analyzed Google reviews of 328 European airports. The study highlights the digital reputation of airports, which may differ from their actual operational performance.

French airports' low rankings

The study, published on October 29, 2026, found that 30 of the 36 French airports analyzed ranked in the lower half of the list. Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle, the country's largest airport, ranked 287th, far behind several major European hubs. This contrasts sharply with Spain, where 22 of its 35 airports made the top 100.

Top airports in Europe

Tallinn, Istanbul, and Porto dominated the European ranking. Tallinn ranked first with a weighted score of 4.42 points, followed by Istanbul with 4.39 and Porto with 4.36. The rankings consider the number of reviews, adjusting scores to balance airports with fewer comments.

Montpellier as the only commercial French airport

Montpellier-Méditerranée is the only French commercial airport in the top 100, receiving 4.1 stars based on 3,145 reviews. Paris-Le Bourget, ranked 83rd, is the only French airport in the top 100, but it specializes in business aviation and not regular commercial flights.

Other French airports ranked lower

Other French airports ranked lower, with La Rochelle at 152nd, Brest at 155th, and Nice-Côte d'Azur at 201st. Paris-Orly ranked 258th, and Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle came in 287th. These results differ from the Skytrax World Airport Awards, where Paris-CDG was named the best airport in Europe.

Beauvais ranks last

Beauvais-Tillé came last in the ranking, at 328th, with a weighted score of 2.67 points. Bordeaux-Mérignac ranked 320th with 3.2 stars. The study cites issues like delays, strikes, and long waiting times as possible reasons for dissatisfaction, though it does not assign specific blame to any one factor.

Scope and limitations of the study

The study included only airports with more than 500 reviews, excluding Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus. It focuses on Google reviews rather than operational performance, making it distinct from other rankings like the AirHelp Score, which considers punctuality and passenger experience.