SINGAPORE: Changi Airport, which has won the Airport of the Year title in the world an astounding 12 times, slipped from first to second place this year, losing out to Doha’s Hamad International Airport.
Nevertheless, Changi still emerged as the Best Airport in Asia and won the award for World’s Best Airport Immigration Service.
The World Airport Awards were held at Passenger Terminal EXPO in Frankfurt on Wednesday, Apr 17.
Hamad International Airport also brought home three awards, bagging the ones for World’s Best Airport Shopping and the Best Airport in the Middle East aside from the top prize.
Seoul Incheon Airport, Tokyo Haneda Airport, Tokyo Narita Airport, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, Dubai Airport, Munich Airport, Zurich Airport, Istanbul Airport, ranked third to 10th on best airports list, respectively.
The Skytrax World Airport Awards are based on the world’s largest yearly airport customer satisfaction survey and have been operating since 1999. This year’s survey period was from August 2023 to March 2024, with people from over 100 nationalities polled regarding customer service and facilities across more than 570 airports.
“The survey evaluated the customer experience across airport service and product key performance indicators – from check-in, arrivals, transfers, shopping, security and immigration, through to departure at the gate,” says Skytrax.
Changi Airport had been ranked third in 2021 and 2022 before coming out on top in 2023. In terms of passenger numbers, Changi ranks third this year, with between 50 to 60 million passengers. In first place is Tokyo International Airport (Haneda), with more than 70 million passengers, followed by Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, which had between 60 to 70 million passengers in 2024.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer, Eng. Badr Al Meer expressed delight at Hamad International Airport’s win, saying, “This year HIA celebrates its milestone tenth year of operations and we are truly honoured that passengers have voted us Best Airport in the World for a third time.
“Our talented team is pioneering and committed to deliver excellent passenger experience with industry firsts and one-of-a-kind shopping and dining offerings set amidst our superlative infrastructure which includes the world-renowned indoor tropical garden the ‘ORCHARD’. We look forward to continuing to surprise and delight passengers by creating memorable and exceptional passenger journeys in the years to come.”
A recent list from Seasia Stats showed that Changi Airport is ranked eighth in the world for Wi-Fi connectivity.
And in February, Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport soared past Changi Airport as the world’s best airport for business travellers, according to a survey by British finance research and information website BusinessFinancing. /TISG
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