Doha's Hamad International Airport replaces Singapore's Changi as 'world's best'
In a surprising twist, Doha's Hamad International Airport surpassed Singapore's Changi Airport to claim the title of "world's best airport" at the 2024 Skytrax World Airport Awards. "This year marks HIA's significant 10th anniversary, and we are deeply honored by passengers' continued recognition, naming us the best airport in the world for the third time," Badr Al Meer, Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Airways Group, conveyed to the South China Morning Post.
Asian airports dominate Skytrax rankings
Asian airports have shown a strong presence at this year's Skytrax World Airport Awards. Seoul Incheon not only secured the third spot but also bagged the title of the most family-friendly airport of 2024. Tokyo's dual facilities, Haneda and Narita, followed closely, securing fourth and fifth positions respectively. Hong Kong Airport made an impressive leap by ascending 22 spots to claim 11th position after recovering from COVID-19 impacts and witnessing a surge in passenger traffic.
United States and European airports' performance in Skytrax rankings
In the Skytrax World Airport Awards 2024, US airports were conspicuously absent from the top tier. Seattle-Tacoma, although dropping six places, ranked highest at 24th. New York's JFK slipped five places to land at 93rd while LaGuardia ascended from 57 to 33. European airports held steady, with Paris Charles de Gaulle, Munich, Zurich, and Istanbul maintaining their positions within the top 10.
Significant shifts in Skytrax Airport Rankings
The Skytrax World Airport Awards 2024 witnessed several notable shifts in rankings. Melbourne retained its position as the highest-ranked Australian airport at 19th place. London Heathrow moved up one spot to secure the 21st position, while Gatwick made a significant leap of seven places to rank at 48. Japan's Okinawa made the most dramatic jump, soaring from 199th to 91st position.
What awards did India get?
New Delhi International Airport maintained its 36th position globally and reclaimed the title of "best airport in India and South Asia." Hyderabad International Airport earned recognition for "best airport staff service in India and South Asia," climbing to 61st place from 65th in 2023. Bangalore International Airport surged 10 spots to 59th and secured the accolade for "best regional airport in India and South Asia."
Changi and Hamad International Airports setting the standard
Changi Airport has consistently been recognized as the world's top airport, earning the prestigious title from Skytrax 12 times, including uninterrupted victories from 2013 to 2020 and again in 2023. Hamad International Airport, is among the ones, providing complimentary city tours for travelers facing lengthy layovers. It is hailed as the most opulent and architecturally significant terminal complex covering an area of 600,000 square meter or 75 football fields.
All about the Skytrax World Airport Awards
The World Airport Awards commenced in 1999 with Skytrax's inaugural global airport customer satisfaction survey. A key principle of the survey is to empower customers to make their own subjective choices about the best airport. The primary aim is to conduct a customer survey and airport awards process that is unbiased, impartial, and global in scope, and this principle continues to underpin all aspects of the survey and awards process.
