Adani Airports Among World''s 7 Most Beautiful by Prix Versailles

New Delhi, Jun 16 (PTI) Adani Group-operated airports at Navi Mumbai and Guwahati have been named in the Prix Versailles World's seven Most Beautiful Airports List 2026, underscoring growing international recognition of India's aviation infrastructure.

Prix Versailles, a leading architecture and design awards, ranked Adani Airport Holdings Ltd's (AAHL) Navi Mumai International Airport Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 at the Lokapriya Gopinath Bardoloi International Airport, Guwahati among "the World's Most Beautiful Airports List 2026".

These seven projects - each one exhibiting extraordinary, distinctive architecture - illustrate how airports are now turning away from the old standards in order to offer the world a richer, more harmonious point of view, it said in a statement.

The annual Prix Versailles awards, presented at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, recognise excellence in architecture and design, with a focus on innovation, sustainability, cultural identity and passenger experience.

Navi Mumbai International Airport was selected for its lotus-inspired design and integration of technology and sustainability. The recognition comes ahead of the airport's planned operational ramp-up and highlights its role in expanding capacity in the Mumbai metropolitan region.

Terminal 2 at Guwahati's Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport was recognised for its architecture inspired by the Bamboo Orchid, reflecting the biodiversity and cultural identity of northeast India while incorporating sustainable design elements.

The inclusion of both airports reflects AAHL's efforts to develop large-scale aviation infrastructure with an emphasis on design and passenger experience.

Other airports named on the 2026 list include facilities in Guangzhou, Frankfurt, Kandal Stueng, Pittsburgh and San Diego.

Three airports or terminals from the shortlist will receive the Prix Versailles global titles for architecture, interior or exterior design later this year.


"Navi Mumbai International Airport, whose Terminal 1 opened in 2025, is a story of conquest: taming rivers and mountains, shifting existing high-voltage cables and reclaiming marshy land from the sea. It's an epic saga that skilfully combines futuristic architecture with operational functionality," the statement describing why the airport was chosen for the award said.

The lotus design, devised by Zaha Hadid Architects, gives structure to the project's formal language, including the overhangs extending from the roof. Like the sacred flower, the new terminal opens each day as its petals unfurl in the morning light.

"A series of geometric portals choreographs the arrival experience, extending inward as a continuous ceiling and resolving into signature lotus-inspired columns that define ceremonial, intuitive entrances," it said.

"Lastly, a carefully curated digital art programme enhances the project's future-ready character through dynamic, interactive installations placed at key pause points. In these transitory spaces, the youthful, innovation-driven face of India fuses with the timelessness of its culture."

Stating that there are few airports that embrace a land so magnificently, it said the international Terminal 2 at Guwahati "delivers a spectacular arrival experience that reflects the living spirit of Northeast India."

"At the crossroads of South and Southeast Asia, architect Nuru Karim was inspired by the bamboo orchid, a symbol of the region's biodiversity. Sweeping vaulted ceilings in organic shapes provide structure to the whole building, subtly referencing Assam's sacred landscapes and indigenous architectural traditions. These vast spaces are complemented by fluid ceiling patterns that trace the rhythms of the Brahmaputra and its tributaries, intuitively guiding passengers through a sequence of open, legible spaces," it said.

Indigenous art, tribal narratives and local craftsmanship are seamlessly embedded within the interiors, transforming waiting areas and transition zones into moments of discovery and reflection, the statement said adding cultural expression is not ornamental but rather spatially and emotionally integral to the passenger journey.

"Through the use of bamboo, passive daylighting and biophilic design, Terminal 2 harmoniously blends sustainability with regional identity and global connectivity," it added.

The awards discerned by the Prix Versailles aim to promote intelligent sustainability, in which culture serves and transcends the notion of the environment.