Best Airports In The World: Top Global Airports in 2023 Ratings
Air travel is getting more popular over the years as it is one of the fastest and most convenient ways to travel internationally. Every year, travellers vote to select the best airport in the world and the airport ranking list represents the global quality benchmark for the airport industry.
Beautiful airports with high security, comfortable seating areas, various options for food and retail are among the top reasons passengers enjoy an airport. Retail options, dining outlets and entertaining activities are great ways to make a layover and waiting time more enjoyable. Airports are more than just a travel hub, it is increasingly considered as a destination for leisure and retail as well.
Continue reading and be ready to be amazed by these best international airports, from Asia to Europe. Have your favourite airports? Let us know if yours is listed below.
Best Airports In The World According to Skytrax’s rating:
- Singapore Changi Airport (Singapore)
- Hamad International Airport (Qatar)
- Tokyo Haneda International Airport (Japan)
- Incheon International Airport (South Korea)
- Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (France).
Best Airports In The World According to Travel+Leisure’s rating:
- Singapore Changi Airport (Singapore)
- Dubai International Airport (United Arab Emirates)
- Hamad International Airport (Qatar)
- Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (India)
- Incheon International Airport (South Korea).
Best Airports In The World According to AirHelp Global Airport Ranking:
- Haneda International Airport (Japan)
- Gilberto Freyre International Airport (Brazil)
- Tokyo Narita International Airport (Japan)
- Campinas International Airport (Brazil)
- Hyderabad Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (India).
About Skytrax and The World Airport Awards
Started in 1999, Skytrax has been publishing ranking results of customer satisfaction surveys on airports around the world. Skytrax is a ranking and airport review site from the UK. Their annual rankings are internationally regarded as the quality benchmark for the aviation industry. Airports do not pay to be included in the ranking and the entire process is fully funded by Skytrax.
There are more than 500 airports that are assessed in areas such as facilities and customer service. All award winning airports are selected by passengers and every survey entry is carefully monitored to ensure fairness. For the World Airport Awards in 2023, travellers from all over the world participated in the survey with over 100 nationalities involved.
About The Survey Topics and Methodology
The survey covers passenger experiences with key performance indicators from check-in points to immigration, security, shopping and departure, to identify the list of best airports in the world. Factors such as ease of access, the number of public transport options available and the efficiency of the security screening process are evaluated in the survey.
Every survey entry has a unique IP with user information included and ineligible entries removed. For World Airport Awards 2023, the survey dates took place from August 2022 to February 2023. The surveys were taken in English, Spanish and Chinese at www.worldairportsurvey.com.
World Airport Awards 2023 By Skytrax
Singapore Changi Airport has the tallest indoor waterfall that is called Rain Vortex, sponsored by HSBC.
Number 1: Singapore Changi Airport
Singapore Changi Airport is one of the busiest travel hubs in South East Asia with over 5 million passenger movements a month. Changi Airport is voted as the best airport in the world in 2023 by travellers in Skytrax's annual World Airport Awards. This is the 12th time that Changi Airport has earned this title.
Popularly known for its diverse retail offerings and impressive indoor attractions such as the world's highest indoor waterfall, a gorgeous butterfly garden and the luxurious Crowne Plaza airport hotel. Singapore Changi Airport is also awarded two winnings of the World's Best Airport Leisure Amenities as well as the World's Best Airport Dining by Skytrax.
Number 2: Hamad International Airport
Hamad International Airport even has an impressive indoor garden located within. Photo by Alex Traveler on stock.adobe.com
Located in Qatar, Hamad International Airport is voted as the second best airport in the world and the best airport in the Middle East. This airport has more than 180 dining and retail options with many exclusive shops. Hamad International Airport (also known as Doha Airport) offers great travelling experience for passengers as stress-free travelling is one of the airport's main goals.
Hamad International Airport is the hub airport for Qatar Airways. Favourably described by travellers as one of the most architecturally beautiful terminal complexes, it is no wonder that Doha Airport is ranked ninth time in a row as the best airport in the Middle East.
Number 3: Tokyo Haneda International Airport
Tokyo Haneda Airport is a travel hub of the 5-star Japanese airline, All Nippon Airways (aka ANA airline). MaedaAkihiko, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Tokyo Haneda Airport is considered as one of the busiest travel hubs in Japan and among the top five busiest airports in the world (more than London Heathrow). Haneda Airport has easy-to-access terminal complexes, modern airport lounges and a wide variety of retail and dining options.
Even with busy traffic of over 830,000 flights in 2020 and nearly 27 million passengers in 2021, Haneda Airport holds the World's Cleanest Airports 2023 title consecutively in recent years with excellent service quality and efficiency.
Number 4: Incheon International Airport
Incheon Airport is the largest international airport that is located in Seoul, Korea. Ken Eckert, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Voted as the fourth-best airport in World Airport Awards by Skytrax, Incheon International Airport has modern facilities with spacious interior, various options for food and shopping and fast service time. There are also entertaining options such as a golf course, spa, casino and ice skating rink for passengers.
Incheon Airport is currently the main travel hub for several airlines including Korean Air, Jeju Air, Asiana Airlines and Polar Air Cargo. Passengers can use railways, buses and taxi services for easy transportation.
Number 5: Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
The Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport is easily among the top five busiest in EU. Photo by tatsuo115 on stock.adobe.com
Proudly named after Charles de Gaulle, a former president of France, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (aka Paris CDG) was opened in 1974 and is currently the biggest international airport in France. Aside from winning the 5th place in the World Airport Awards 2023, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport is also voted as the Best Airport in Europe.
With three terminals, Paris CDG Airport is among the busiest travel hubs in Europe. This is the principal travel hub for Air France as well. The airport is a certified 4-star airport for its facilities, service quality and shop options.
About Travel + Leisure and World's Best Awards
Travel + Leisure has millions of readers every month, who love travelling and are interested in travel-related topics. Photo by Timeimage on stock.adobe.com
Based in New York, Travel + Leisure is a travel magazine with the monthly reach of over 16 million travellers. Every year, Travel + Leisure conducts an annual survey for their readers to vote on each year's best airports, top islands, best cities and more topics that are related to travelling. The final winners of each category will be listed in the World's Best Awards.
About The Survey and Rating Criterias
In order to select the best international airports, the annual survey was open for online voting from October 2022 to February 2023. Every result is monitored through Proof Insights, a digital marketing firm, in order to prevent duplicate votes and fraud.
Specific criterias for selecting the best airports are access, check-in and security, restaurant and bar options, retail options, and overall design. Voters can rate each characteristic from a scale of excellent as the highest and poor as the lowest. The final scores published on Travel + Leisure magazine and website are the averages of all surveys.
Best International Airports 2023 By Travel+Leisure
Number 1: Singapore Changi Airport
Changi Airport, the popular airport from Singapore has been holding the top spot since 2013 in Travel + Leisure's annual World's Best Awards. Featured as an honoree in the World's Best Awards Hall of Fame, readers love the airport for its architecturally impressive design. From its diverse terminal complexes for retail and entertainment to famous attractions such as the Rain Vortex - the world's highest indoor waterfall, there are many reasons why Singapore Changi Airport earned itself multiple awards.
Number 2: Dubai International Airport
Dubai International Airport has many global brands available and plenty of shopping options. Ahmed, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Dubai International Airport is one of the world's busiest travel hubs based on international passenger traffic. This airport serves as travel hubs for major airlines such as Emirates, flydubai, IndiGo and more.
Passengers can enjoy luxurious shopping experiences with global brands and enjoy long layovers more comfortably in soundproof pods with beds and entertainment.
Number 3: Hamad International Airport
Located in Qatar, Hamad International Airport is voted by readers as the third best airport in the world for 2023 Best International Airport Rankings. Hamad Airport (also known as Doha Airport) is located 4 kilometres away from the capital of Qatar, Doha.
With cutting-edge technologies and modern facilities, Hamad Airport offers efficient service, comfortable resting areas and speedy security screenings for both regional and international passengers. Hamad Airport is also home of Qatar Airways and travel hub of Al Maha Airways.
Number 4: Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport
The modern ceiling is the trademark of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. Innocentbunny, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (also known as Mumbai Airport) is located in India. Mumbai Airport is formerly known as Sahar International Airport, which was opened in 1942. Voted as the fourth best airport in the world in Travel + Leisure 2023 ranking, Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport is a hallmark of design and monumental infrastructure that represents Mumbai's growth.
Number 5: Incheon International Airport
Another familiar face. Served as one of the main transportation hubs in Northeast Asia, Incheon Airport is chosen by readers as the fifth best airport in the world. There are plenty of opportunities for international travellers to experience the uniqueness of Korean culture and arts in Incheon Airport.
From the Korean Culture Museum, Traditional Craft Gallery, Traditional Culture Experience Zone to Arrival Hall Culture Street, there is always something interesting to do in Incheon Airport.
About AirHelp Global Airport Ranking
Established in 2013, AirHelp operates as a claims management company that aims to promote and help air passengers in cases of flight disruptions. The German company has been publishing Global Airport Rankings since 2015 on a 10-point scale rating system.
AirHelp ranks airports based on passenger experience to help travellers know what to expect before flying. Factors such as on-time performance, opinions from customers, quality of retail and shop available are used to calculate AirHelp Score for each airport.
The Methodology Behind AirHelp Score
Based on their official site, AirHelp pulled the data “from their own extensive database”, between 1st January and 31st October 2022. The fincal score is based on the following criteria:
- On-time performance accounts for 60 percent of each airport's overall AirHelp Score. This is based on how punctual arrival and departure flights are in each airport.
- Service quality accounts for 20 percent with waiting time at security screenings, overall cleanliness and quality of customer service in consideration.
- Food and shops accounts for 20 percent and it is rated by passengers.
Global Airport Ranking 2022 By AirHelp
Number 1: Haneda International Airport
Haneda Airport Garden has spa services, food options and a variety of shops for passengers to enjoy before their flights. Photo by 正之 倉金 - stock.adobe.com
With an AirHelp Score 8.83 out of a possible 10 points, Haneda Airport is the first winner of AirHelp Score 2023 on its annual Global Airport Ranking. Passengers experience consistently high standards of service quality, well-maintained infrastructure and on-time flight schedule at Haneda Airport.
There are a wide range of shopping, dining and entertainment options available at Terminal 3 - the building that handles most international flights arriving at and departure from Haneda Airport.
Number 2: Gilberto Freyre International Airport
Gilberto Freyre is one of the most important airports in Northeastern Brazil. Arne Müseler / www.arne-mueseler.com, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE, via Wikimedia Commons
Gilberto Freyre Airport (aka Guararapes) is an international airport located in Recife, Brazil. The airport is highly regarded by travellers by its on-time performance as well as food and shopping options with an overall AirHelp Score of 8.52.
Number 3: Narita International Airport
Narita is about 90-minutes away from Haneda (by train). JKT-c, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Narita Airport is the third best airport in AirHelp's Global Airport Ranking 2023. Passengers who took part in AirHelp's survey rated highly for Narita Airport's efforts in shortening wait times, overall cleanliness, airport accessibility and support from airport staff.
There are nap rooms and showers available as well as a good variety of duty free shopping in Narita Airport's terminals. Each terminal is organised around airline alliances such as Terminal 1 is for SkyTeam and Star Alliance.
Number 4: Campinas International Airport
A top view over a part of Campinas Airport, located in Brazil. Photo by Raul on stock.adobe.com
Campinas Airport (also known as Viracopos) is the third largest airport in Brazil. It is a travel hub for various airlines including Azul Brazilian Airlines, Azul Cargo Express and more. Voted as the fourth best airport in the list, Campinas scored highly on two areas, on-time performance of flights and availability of food and shop options.
With the annual traffic of over 7 million passengers and over 100,000 aircraft movements, Campinas Airport is surely one of the busiest airports across Brazil.
Number 5: Hyderabad Rajiv Gandhi International Airport
Hyderabad Rajiv Gandhi Airport is a travel hub for various airlines including IndiGo, Alliance Air, SpiceJet and more. Subhashish Panigrahi, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Hyderabad Rajiv Gandhi Airport is an international airport located in Hyderabad, India. Opened in 2008, Hyderabad Airport has been receiving awards for excellence in various areas including operational efficiency and guaranteed service quality.
Ranked fifth place in AirHelp's 2023 Global Airport Ranking, Hyderabad Airport's food and shop options scored exceptionally high at 8.93 as compared to their overall score of 8.40.
FAQ
1. Which Is The Best Airport In The World?
Singapore Changi Airport in Singapore is one of the world's most awarded airports with over 664 awards. It has been crowned the World Best Airport 2023 by Skytrax, the Best Airport by Travel + Leisure Asia Pacific and the Best International Airport In The World by Travel + Leisure US, to name just a few.
2. Which Is The Cleanest Airport In The World 2023?
Haneda International Airport in Japan is voted as the world’s cleanest airport in 2023 by Skytrax with online surveys completed by global travellers. Skytrax has an Airport Hygiene Rating programme in place to promote a safe environment for air travellers and improve airport industry's hygiene standards. Areas such as customer seating, toilet facilities and contact surfaces such as escalators and ATMs are under hygiene checks.
3. What Is The Most Luxurious Airport In The World?
Hamad International Airport is described by many travellers as the most architecturally complex and luxurious airport in the world. There are various eye-catching modern art pieces on display such as "Lamp Bear" by Urs Fischer - a Swiss artist and "Small Lie" by KAWS - a New York pop artist. There is an exclusive atmosphere and plenty of luxurious stores for passengers to shop while waiting for their flights.
4. Where Is The Most Beautiful Airport In The World?
Aside from the satisfying travel experience, Singapore Changi Airport is popularly known as the most beautiful airport in the world for various reasons. Changi Airport has the world's first butterfly garden with more than a thousand tropical and mesmerising butterflies in their famous Butterfly Garden. There is an architectural marvel of Shiseido Forest Valley filled with plants as well as the stunning Rain Vortex, the world's highest indoor waterfall with 7-storey height.
Best Airport In The World: Top 5 Airport in 2023 Ratings
A positive and enjoyable air travel experience can greatly affect your trip. Having a stress-free flying experience in one of these best airports in the world, from departure to arrival, is surely a great way to remember your trip. No more waiting for the endless queues in security screening lines or spending boring layover time at international airports.
On your next trip, arrive in these world-class airports and be ready to be amazed by the best service quality and the amount of options available for airport entertaining options. Which of these award winning airports have you visited? Be sure to comment and let your fellow travellers.
Chau Dao
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