The new Terminal 2 at Guwahati’s Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport has been named among the world’s most beautiful airports in the 2026 Prix Versailles list, alongside hubs in China, Germany, the US, Cambodia and Navi Mumbai. Its vaulted, bamboo-rich design, inspired by Assam’s Kopou phool and the Brahmaputra, showcases a sustainable, culturally rooted vision for aviation infrastructure.
The Prix Versailles is an annual international award for architecture and design, presented at UNESCO headquarters in Paris since 2015. It recognises newly built airports and terminals that combine innovation, cultural expression, and sustainability, and is among the most closely watched design recognitions in the aviation industry.
The 2026 list of the world's seven most beautiful airports includes:
Terminal 3 at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in China
Terminal 3 at Frankfurt Airport in Germany
Pittsburgh International Airport in the United States
Techo International Airport in Cambodia
Terminal 1 at San Diego International Airport in the United States
Terminal 1 at Navi Mumbai International Airport
Terminal 2 at Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati
Both Indian entries are operated by Adani Airport Holdings Limited, making this the first time India has placed two airports on the same Prix Versailles list.
Terminal 2 at Guwahati Airport opened to the public on February 22, 2026. Designed by architect Nuru Karim, its architectural language is built around the Kopou phool, the foxtail orchid, which is the state flower of Assam. The terminal's vaulted ceilings create large, open volumes that reference the sacred landscapes and indigenous architectural traditions of the Northeast, while fluid ceiling patterns echo the movement of the Brahmaputra River and its tributaries. Bamboo is integrated throughout the structure, not as a decorative reference but as a functional design element tied to the terminal's sustainability framework. Passive daylighting strategies and biophilic design principles are embedded into the building's envelope, intended to reduce environmental impact while strengthening the relationship between the terminal and the natural world that surrounds it. The Prix Versailles citation specifically noted the terminal's approach to cultural integration, describing the architectural elements as fundamental to the terminal's identity rather than additions applied over a generic structure.
Guwahati sits at the intersection of South and Southeast Asia and is the primary gateway to Northeast India, a region that spans eight states and is home to over 200 distinct ethnic groups, among the highest concentrations of indigenous biodiversity and cultural diversity anywhere in the country. Terminal 2 is the first major piece of aviation infrastructure in the region to reflect that identity at architectural scale. Three airports from the 2026 Prix Versailles list will go on to receive a World Title, awarded across the categories of Prix Versailles, Interior, and Exterior, at a ceremony at UNESCO headquarters in Paris later this year.