Inverness Airport general manager Graeme Bell said the award from the ACI, which is for airports serving under two million passengers a year, was a “tremendous accolade”.

The ACI is a membership body for airports around the globe. Its Airport Service Quality (ASQ) award is voted for by 370,000 travellers.

Inverness Airport took the accolade after judges assessed 34 categories.

Among them are the passenger’s experience of health and safety, environmental sustainability, security and their ease of travel through the airport.

Mr Bell said: “This award is particularly welcome because it is based on passenger feedback.

“We continuously look to respond to what our airport users tell us, and this was particularly important as we adapted to the changes in travel rules implemented during the pandemic.