With flying holidays a distant memory for many, you can be forgiven for not thinking about airports and their operations. So, you’d also be surprised to know that Skytrax has continued to ask people to rate their global airport experiences for their World’s Best Airport 2021.

Established in 1999, the annual survey is the world’s largest. Some even consider it the Oscars of Aviation. Customers vote on almost everything. From terminal design, passenger comfort, cleanliness, service, accessibility, facilities, immigration, security, waiting times, information, screens, wifi availability, transportation, costs, and passenger numbers. It’s the top aviation industry benchmark across 550 airports.

The 2021 Skytrax World Airport Awards produced seven Asian airport winners amongst the top ten. But if you think Singapore Changi Airport or Dubai was number one, you’re wrong.

While Changi is an amazing airport boasting a small city within its massive grounds, including the world’s largest indoor waterfall, to a movie theatre, butterfly garden and rooftop pool, it has finally been knocked off its perch by Doha’s Hamad International Airport and Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. Changi dropped to third this year. A significant fall after being in the top spot for almost a decade.

Despite Doha airport’s negative coverage in October 2020, when women passengers transiting through weren’t treated favourably after a newborn baby had been found in the toilet area, it has continued to rise in Skytrax’s airport satisfaction global survey.

Qatar’s Hamad International Airport is built on reclaimed land and sports a man-made lagoon and natural bay area. It’s around a third of the size of Doha. The four storeys high terminal over 600,000 square metres is as grand as 75 football fields. Currently handling almost 9,000 passengers per hour (over 30 million a year), it has also continued to expand during the slower Covid-19 travel period ensuring it remains on target for the 2022 FIFA World Cup fans expected to inundate Doha.

Hamad’s new construction includes a gigantic internal 268-metre-high waterfall and tropical garden, vastly improved health and safety standards and an annual passenger capacity increasing to 53 million.

Asian airports claimed the first five spots this year. They are Doha’s Hamad International, Tokyo’s Haneda, Changi in Singapore, Incheon in South Korea, Narita in Tokyo, and places nine and ten going to Kansai in Osaka and Hong Kong’s International Airport.

Hamad won the Middle East’s Best Airport and Best Airport Staff, plus the World’s Best Airport (25 to 35 million passengers).

Surprising, Turkey’s Istanbul Airport was the World’s Most Improved Airport, jumping from 102nd to 17th place in a year.

And while Dubai strives to have the best and biggest of everything worldwide, its International Airport only ranked 19th.

Although Changi slipped to third position, it still claimed the World’s Best Airport (10 to 15 million passengers), the Best Airport Staff in Asia, and World’s Best Airport Staff awards in 2021.

Unmoved at second place two years in a row, Tokyo’s Haneda Airport was ranked the World’s Cleanest Airport with Changi second and Tokyo’s Narita Airport third.

Haneda also won Best Asian Airport, World’s Best Domestic Airport and Best Airport PRM/Accessible Facilities.

So, if you ever have to spend additional time at an Asian airport, at least you know you’ll be staying amongst the world’s best.

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