Singapore’s Changi Airport has just won the title of the world’s best airport for an incredible sixth year in a row. This is an unprecedented feat which goes to show how much time, money and effort Singapore has invested in making itself a gateway to the rest of Asia. The award is issue based on millions of passenger survey responses, and is the most prestigious of the annual Skytrax World Airport Awards, which have been called “the Oscars of the aviation industry.”
Other contenders like Seoul Incheon (#2) and Hong Kong (#4) offer a similarly sparkling airport experience, but Singapore Changi takes the cake for its blend of impressive amenities and airport efficiency. Changi served an incredible 62.2 million passengers in 2017 with more than 373,000 landings and takeoffs, which means Changi accommodated a landing or takeoff every 85 seconds, 24 hours a day in 2017. Those flights were going to and from over 400 destinations around the world. “To be voted the World’s Best Airport for the sixth consecutive year is a fabulous achievement for Changi Airport, and this award yet again demonstrates the airport’s popularity with international air travelers,” said Edward Plaisted, CEO of Skytrax.
Vancouver (YVR), home to Cathay Pacific’s impressive First and Business Class Lounge, was rated the top airport in North America, coming in at number fourteen in the world. Denver (DEN) claims the title of the best airport in the United States, coming in at 29th place. Other high-ranking American airports include Houston (IAH) at #48, Atlanta (ATL) at #50, San Francisco (SFO) at #51, Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) at #56, Seattle-Tacoma (SEA) at #62 and New York (JFK) at #69. Rome (FCO) achieved one of the biggest jumps in the global rankings, moving up 73 places from #158 to #85. Bahrain (BAH), on the other hand, fell from #73 to #57.
Changi’s long list of amenities has played a large role in propelling it to the top of the list for the past six years. The airport boasts more than two dozen lounges, which frequent flyers and holders of premium credit cards like the American Express Platinum have access to at all hours of the day. Passengers at Changi can watch the latest blockbuster films in one of the airport’s two 24-hour free movie theaters, take a dip in its rooftop swimming pool, or find calm in its on-site sunflower garden. Like much of the rest of Singapore—particularly the city’s Marina Bay area, which is punctuated by the instantly-recognizable Marina Bay Sands Hotel infinity pool and its surrounding shopping complexes—there’s an indistinct blend between business and pleasure at Changi. Who said an airport had to be all work and no fun, anyway?
As impressive as it is today, this only scratches the surface of what Changi has in mind—not only does it want to be the most efficient, but it wants to be the world’s prettiest airport, too. 2019 will unveil Jewel Changi Airport, a mixed-use, highly unique development within the Changi complex. Jewel will cost more than $1 billion to build, and at its completion will feature 300 dining and retail facilities spread across ten storeys and 1.44 million square feet of floor space. Sky Nets will carry passengers eighty feet above the leafy, manicured Jewel complex. Below, a hedge maze will weave along the outer edge of Jewel, while a mirror maze will disorient from amongst the greenery. Slides and lookout platforms will be dotted around Jewel to make the new area more playful for children and adults alike. In a city of limitless ambition, the sheer scale of Singapore’s vision will be on full display from the moment you arrive.
Skytrax also named a number of other awards, including the cleanest airports in the world and the world’s best airport hotels. As for the world’s best airports, here’s the full top ten:
- Singapore (SIN)
- Seoul, South Korea (ICN)
- Tokyo Haneda, Japan (HND)
- Hong Kong (HKG)
- Doha, Qatar (DOH)
- Munich, Germany (MUC)
- Nagoya, Japan (NGO)
- London Heathrow, UK (LHR)
- Zurich, Switzerland (ZRH)
- Frankfurt, Germany (FRA)