Today we’re going to look at the world’s top 10 airports in 2021 - at least according
to SkyTrax and their world airport survey.
Now, we know that SkyTrax and its rating of airlines has seen some controversy in the
past.
In fact, in 2019, we wrote about the backlash the organization faced after downgrading Turkish
Airlines to a three-star airline after pulling out of SkyTrax’ auditing services.
Additionally, some claim that the ranking method may be flawed, one example cited was
because Lufthansa’s Skytrax rating was based on a future product, rather than a current
offering.
With what happened to Turkish Airlines, many accuse SkyTrax and its evaluations of being
flawed.
Reports over the past years cite a lack of transparency and go so far as to accuse the
firm of downgrading airlines that aren’t paying for its auditing services.
But before we completely sow mistrust and skepticism into the system of ratings, we
are simply using this list as a launching point to cover some of the higher-profile
airports around the world.
At the end we’ll also mention a few differences we spotted among other lists compiled by other
organizations.
Of course, if you think there’s an airport out there that deserves to be on this list
more than another, we’d love to hear about it in the comments.
According to the SkyTrax website for airport rankings and awards, worldairportawards.com,
the organization says that there’s no entry fee or any type of payment by an airport (or
other third party) to be included in the survey or awards, noting that the survey and awards
process fully funded by Skytrax.
Indeed, all submissions are on a voluntary basis and the survey entries are monitored,
with any suspect or duplicate entries being deleted.
We’re not sure when this information was put up, but it sounds like a response to the
public backlash they’ve received over the years.
In any case, hopefully it’s true and these airport rankings have a little more credibility!
Before we jump right into the list, let’s look at the list of criteria that surveys
used for evaluation.
It’s a long list of 39 points, with an additional 10 criteria specific to COVID-19 prevention
and management.
We won’t list all 49 points, but here are just a few:
Ease of Access of Getting to and from the Airport
Availability of luggage trolleys (airside & landside)
Terminal comfort and cleanliness Wait times for immigration, baggage, and more
Ease of transit throughout the airport WiFi Service
Airport staff friendliness and language abilities And even the prices of stores and restaurants
Again, you’ll have to tell us if your experience of these airports matches the survey results
and rankings!
So with all of that out of the way, let’s start from number 10 on the list, and work
our way up to number one.
Number 10 on the list is Hong Kong International Airport.
One of the world’s largest passenger and cargo airports, this is the hub and home base
for Cathay Pacific.
The new airport (HKIA) opened in July 1998 and serves 220 destinations and hosts around
120 airlines.
The airport handled 71.5 million passengers in 2019 with almost 420,000 airport movements.
In fact, its two runways together handled about 68 flights per hour at peak periods.
Among their more interesting facilities is a quote-unquote Caring Corner.
This is a rest area for travellers with special needs, including passengers with reduced mobility,
the elderly and pregnant women.
Additionally, the airport has complimentary shower facilities.
According to the airport’s website, these facilities provide hairdryers as well as complimentary
shampoo and bath gel.
Towels and other shower consumable items are also available from a vending machine.
Number nine spot is Japan’s Kansai International Airport, which opened in 1994.
Serving the major city of Osaka and its surrounding area, Kansai has become an important international
hub for Japan.
Kansai international Airport, or KIX, is the first 24-hour operated international airport
in Japan.
The airport was built on an artificial island, five kilometers offshore from the Senshu area,
southeast of Osaka Bay.
As of 2021, the airport served 108 cities - or 90 cities for passenger services.
A 24-hour pet hotel and an umbrella re-use service are two of the more interesting services
at KIX.
Indeed, lost and left-behind umbrellas are collected and made available for travelers
who need one.
Unfortunately at the moment, this service is suspended due to COVID.
Finally, for AvGeeks, Kansai’s Sky View Observation Hall provides a great please to
watch aircraft taking off and landing.
This facility also doubles as an airport museum!
Number eight spot is Heathrow airport.
One of the world’s busiest international airports, it’s the primary hub for both
British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways.
The airport has four passenger terminals, although this was reduced to two functioning
terminals during much of 2020.
At the moment, Heathrow hosts 84 airlines which fly to 203 destinations in 84 countries.
Its top destinations are: New York (JFK)
Dubai Dublin
Amsterdam and Hong Kong
According to the airport’s website, Heathrow has gone the extra mile to accommodate traveling
families.
Indeed, it says that it offers complimentary kids’ meals, dedicated play areas, and family
friendly parking.
Additionally, children aged 15 and under travel for free on the Heathrow Express when travelling
with an adult.
Airport number seven is Switzerland’s Zurich Airport.
The busiest airport in the country, Zurich is the primary hub of Swiss International
Air Lines, and is located 12 km from the city center of Zurich.
In 2021, Zurich airport and the 43 airlines it hosted, served 150 destinations.
However, looking forward, Summer 2022 is scheduled to feature 191 destinations, which is almost
the same as before the pandemic.
Pre-pandemic (2019) the airport handled 31 and a half million passengers, which was an
average of over 86,000 per day.
Before the global health crisis, it served 203 destinations using 77 airlines, with its
top five carriers listed as SWISS, Edelweiss Air, EasyJet, Eurowings, and British Airways.
An additional fun fact, the airport says that its top aircraft types in terms of flight
movements were the Airbus A320, Embraer E190, Airbus A319, Airbus A220-300, and Airbus A321.
It’s not just SkyTrax survey respondents recognizing Zurich Airport’s quality facilities.
Indeed, the airport has won the World Travel Award for the best airport in Europe, for
the 18 straight years!
According to Euronews, the fact that it’s just 11 minutes by train from the city centre
is a key highlight for travelers.
Additionally, Infrastructure is modern, and there are over 80 shops as well as a fast
WiFi connection which is free for up to two hours.
In number six spot is Germany’s Munich Airport.
This is the second busiest airport in Germany and Lufthansa’s secondary hub, next to Frankfurt.
This airport has over 150 retail stores and around 50 places for eating and drinking.
In 2021 the airport hosted 64 airlines flying to a total of 187 destinations in 55 countries.
There are two rather interesting features at Munich.
The first is its very own brewery, named Airbräu.
In fact, the airport says that it was the first brewery located at an airport.
It was once the only brewery, but has since been joined by others, including Airport Craft
Brewers, located in the domestic terminal of Johannesburg’s OR Tambo airport.
The second interesting feature at Munich, is the airport’s Christmas winter market,
which is set up from the end of November to the end of December.
While the market is active, a huge ice-skating rink sits in the middle, along with over 450
real Christmas trees.
Halfway through the list at number five is Tokyo Narita Airport.
Serving the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan, Narita is one of the international hubs for Japan
Airlines and All Nippon Airways.
The airport and its three terminals serve 120 cities around the world with about 100
different airlines.
Looking at its website, nothing seems to stand out as super unique for Narita airport.
If you’ve spent some time here, do let us know what - if anything - makes it special!
At number four is Seoul Incheon International Airport.
A former winner of the Airport of the Year title at the World Airport Awards, Incheon
International is currently undergoing a four phase construction project with plans to become
a mega hub that can accommodate 106 million passengers a year, handling 600,000 flight
operations and 6.3 million tons of cargo.
Incheon often ranks in the top five of the world’s largest cargo hubs.
Since opening in 2001, the airport has continued to develop, now handling an average of 3.33
million tons annually.
As of 2019, the airport and its two terminals hosted 88 airlines with flights to 55 countries
and 173 cities.
A movie theatre, ice skating rink, golf driving range, and free public concerts are among
the highlights at the airport.
Incheon also offers complimentary shower facilities for transiting passengers, as well as free
nap rooms.
Number three spot is Singapore Changi Airport - one of the busiest passenger hubs for south
east Asia and the home of Singapore Airlines.
Without a doubt, one of the big attractions at this airport is the Changi Jewel, a nature-themed
entertainment and retail complex located on the grounds of the airport, While it’s located
at Changi, Jewel is a destination itself for non-traveling residents of Singapore.
While some might come here to shop, many visit the Jewel to see its centrepiece: the Rain
Vortex - known as the world's tallest indoor waterfall.
Free attractions and facilities at this airport include a butterfly park, a movie theatre,
and a quote-unquote ‘entertainment deck’ with video game consoles.
Currently suspended due to COVID, the airport during normal times offered a Free Singapore
Tour for travelers with long layovers.
Available for those with layovers between five and a half to 24 hours, the free two
and a half-hour guided tour normally operates seven times daily and includes two short photo
stops at famous landmarks.
Hopefully this will be coming back soon!
At second place is another Tokyo airport!
Tokyo Haneda International Airport is one of the world’s busiest airports, and is
the busiest in Japan.
Located fairly close to Tokyo’s city center, the airport has three terminals.
Known as being an immaculately clean airport, Haneda also has observation decks at all three
of its terminals, offering great views of aircraft taking off and landing at the airport’s
four runways.
Apparently, the international air terminal’s observation deck also has a digital signage
display where guests can find out information about the aircraft also other special vehicles
on the runway.
According to FlightConnections.com, Tokyo Haneda serves 106 destinations in 26 countries.
Finally, taking top spot is Qatar’s Hamad International airport.
Now the main airport serving the Qatari capital of Doha, this airport has been described as
the quote “most architecturally significant terminal complex in the world.”
The home airport of Qatar Airways, Hamad International hosted 35 airlines in 2021, with Rwandair
being a new addition.
The airport currently serves a total of 160 destinations, with eight new passenger destinations
added in 2021.
According to the airport, its busiest destinations in 2021 were Dhaka, Male, Dubai, Kathmandu
and London.
Fine dining and luxury shopping options are among the standout features of this airport.
One of the more notable ‘attractions’ is the sculpture-slash-artpiece in the main
atrium: the famous 23-foot tall "Untitled Lamp Bear."
The airport describes this as a quote "playful piece that humanizes the space around it and
reminds travelers of childhood or precious objects from home."
So those are the top 10 airports in the world - at least according to participants of SkyTrax’s
World Airport Awards.
There are, of course, other rankings out there which have different results.
Indeed, CNN Traveler’s Readers Choice awards for World’s best airport in 2021 trades
Haneda, Munich, Kansai, and Hong Kong for Athens, Istanbul, Dubai, and Marrakech - with
other airports re-arranged in a different order.
Meanwhie, the website Travel and Leisure seems to be a mix of the SkyTrax results and the
CNN Traveler list!
In case you were wondering, CNN Traveler and Travel and Leisure both put Singapore Changi
at number on on their respective lists.
So again, we’d love to know about your own experiences at these airports and how well
they align with the results of this SkyTrax survey!
Share it all down below by leaving a comment!