Gateway to the Qatar World Cup, Doha International Airport has been named number 1 by Skytrax for the second consecutive year. Photo / Darren Nunis, Unsplash
The world’s top 100 airports have been unveiled at the annual Skytrax awards. This year there have been a few big winners but little movement in the rankings.
Although there have been big changes in the number of passengers traveling through each airport, the top three spots remain unchanged.
Singapore’s Changi clinched the bronze medal for a second year, also winning Best Airport Food Service and Best Airport Staff.
The second best airport, also unchanged, was Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. Japan’s largest airport was also named the best domestic airport and the best accessible facilities at an airport.
However, Hamad Airport in Doha retained the top spot, still up from the top spot last year.
Skytrax CEO Edward Plaisted congratulated the Qatari airport for the second consecutive year.
“While airports around the world continued to be impacted by the pandemic throughout 2021, Hamad International Airport served 17.1 million passengers in 2021 and continued with its expansion plans,” he said. declared Plaisted.
As Qatar’s gateway and FIFA World Cup host airport, the airport is expected to see an additional 12 million football fans pass through the terminals. The airport, which is an official partner of the tournament, said it will set up 180 additional daily services in November to transport sports fans from neighboring countries.
Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, COO of HIA, hailed the news as “another important milestone in HIA’s history”.
One of the biggest improvements has been seen by the newly renovated Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris. The city’s largest airport and host sponsor of the Skytrax awards at the ADP Passenger Terminal EXPO in Versailles has soared in prices.
Paris CDG climbed nine places despite the airport abandoning plans to expand by 40 million passengers and taking substantial steps to reduce the country’s reliance on air travel over public transport.
The other big winner was Istanbul Airport which took home the award for best airport shopping and most family-friendly airport, climbing nine spots to 8th place.
Kiwi airports have not fared as well. Auckland slipped five places to 40th in the standings. Christchurch remained stable at 79th place.
The awards, now in their 23rd year, compare the world’s 500 largest airports, surveying passengers between September and May each year on criteria including cleanliness, baggage handling and “staff attitude to customs and immigration.
Top 20 Skytrax Airports 2022
1 Doha Hamad
2 Tokyo Haneda
3 Singapore Changi
4 Tokyo Narita ↑1
5 Seoul Incheon ↓1
6 Paris Charles De Gaulle ↑9
7 Munich ↓1
8 Istanbul ↑9
9 Zürich ↓2
10 Kansai ↓1
11 Helsinki-Vantaa Airport ↑2
12 Central Japan International Airport ↑1
13 London Heathrow Airport ↓5
14 Dubai International Airport ↑5
15 Amsterdam Airport Schiphol ↓3
16 Madrid Barajas Airport ↑4
17 Copenhagen Airport ↑1
18 Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport ↓4
19 Vienna International Airport ↑4
20 Hong Kong International Airport ↓5