There are many contests, and many ways, to pick “The Best Airport in the World.”
One of the most coveted is the Skytrax World Airport Awards. And this year’s awards present a bit of an upset.
For the past eight years Singapore’s Changi Airport (SIA) has won the Skytrax award for Best Airport in the World, but this year Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar has claimed that prize. The airport also took home prizes for Best Airport in the Middle East, the World’s Best Airport in the 25 to 35 million Passenger category, and for the Best Airport Staff in the Middle East.
Here’s the rundown of the Skytrax 10 Top Airports for 2021
- Hamad International Airport
- Tokyo Haneda Airport
- Singapore Changi Airport
- Incheon International Airport
- Narita International Airport
- Munich Airport
- Zurich Airport
- London Heathrow Airport
- Kansai International Airport
- Hong Kong International Airport
Some other airports winners of note: Istanbul Airport got the nod for World’s Most Improved Airport. Singapore’s Changi Airport got the award for World’s Best Airport Staff. And Tokyo Haneda Airport was declared the World’s Cleanest Airport.
No U.S. airport made the Global Top Ten list, but here are the winners in the Best Airports in North America category this year:
- Vancouver International Airport
- George Bush Intercontinental Airport
- Toronto Pearson Airport
- Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
- Denver International Airport
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
- Houston Hobby Airport
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
- San Fransico International Airport
- Montreal International Airport
Another category we like to call out in the Skytrax contest is the World’s Best Airport Hotels. But because many airport hotels have and still are being used for COVID arrival quarantine purposes or were fully or partially closed during the height of the pandemic, Skytrax decided to skip that category this year. The Best Airport Leisure Amenities category, Best Airport Shopping, and some other categories were skipped this year as well.