2023 saw major difficulties for air travel due to strikes, disruptions in the aviation industry, and unpredictability in weather patterns. There’s a good chance that many travelers are feeling anxious as the biggest travel season of the year draws near. While there are many uncontrollable aspects that add to the stress of flying, passengers can have some influence over the airport of departure. Some airports have been ranked as the world’s most stressful, so if you want your travel experience to be as good as possible, avoid them.

In order to identify the world’s most stressful airport, VisaGuide.World, a website that offers visa guidance, recently polled 1,642 travelers who had been internationally at least twice in 2023. The respondents represented 53 different nationalities. A high passenger volume, navigating big, crowded airports, frequent flight delays, and the distance from the city center were among the features of air travel that participants reported as causing them the most stress. Based on these issues, VisaGuide.World ranked airports according to five criteria: the total number of passengers, the airport’s size in square meters, the number of passengers per square meter, the percentage of yearly delays, and the distance from the airport to downtown in kilometers.

The results showed that the second-biggest airport in the UK, London Gatwick, ranked highest among all airports in terms of stress. Gatwick scored highly for passenger density, came in second for yearly delays, and was the furthest from the city center (43 kilometers) despite having less passengers than the average for other airports. Interestingly, half of the ten most stressful airports in the world are located in Europe.

Turkey’s Istanbul Airport came in second, with difficulties arising from its enormous size. It is the busiest airport in Europe and the seventh busiest worldwide. Munich Airport in Germany came in third, with fewer passengers than Istanbul but with its smaller size posing challenges. Heathrow Airport, which is the second busiest airport in Europe, came in at number five on the list, while Denver International Airport, located in the United States, came in at number four.

In conclusion, the research highlights the airports that visitors may choose to steer clear of for a more leisurely travel experience, taking into account variables like the number of passengers, the size and density of the airport, delays, and the distance from city centers.