Sydney Airport Lands on Most Stressful Airports List

Did you know that a recent study has named Sydney Airport as among the most stressful airports in the Asia and Oceania region?



Four Australian cities, in fact, were included in the top 10 list in the rest of Asia and the Oceania Region with Sydney landing on the second spot following Tan Son Nhat International in Vietnam. The Philippines’ Ninoy Aquino International ranked third followed by Melbourne and Perth whilst Brisbane rounded out the top ten.

Extreme delays were noted as among the reasons why 59 per cent of Google Reviews for Sydney Airport indicate stress. The study also cited data from FlightAware compiled by CNN Travel which showed that 34.2 per cent of flights scheduled between 26 May and 19 July 2022 at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport were delayed.

Other reviews mentioned poor signage, surcharge for public transport to and from the airport, added airport taxes, and the airport curfew. 

The study was conducted by Holiday rental company Hawaiian Islands which aimed to determine the most stressful airports in America and the world. The group analysed more than 1,500 Google reviews for over 500 airports across the globe and based the ranking on the percentage of reviews that indicate stress.

The top 10 most stressed airports in Southeast Asia and Oceania

  1. Tan Son Nhat Intl, Vietnam – 60.13%
  2. Sydney, Australia -58.98%
  3. Ninoy Aquino Intl, Philippines – 57.81%
  4. Melbourne, Australia – 55.40%
  5. Perth, Australia – 55.30%
  6. Beijing Capital Intl, China – 52.70%
  7. Auckland, New Zealand – 51.35%
  8. Bandaranaike Intl, Sri Lanka – 50.38%
  9. Don Mueang Intl, Thailand – 50.27%
  10. Brisbane, Australia – 48.53%


The distinction of being the most stressful airport in the world went to the UK’s Manchester Airport, with 82.5% of reviews indicating stress. Moreover, nine of the 10 most stressful airports overall were located in Europe, four of which are UK airports.

View the complete list here.