This Airport Was Just Named the Best in the World — and No, It's Not Singapore Changi

In a tale of two Asian airports with spectacular indoor gardens, Hamad International Airport (DOH) in Doha, Qatar, edged out 12-time winner Singapore's Changi Airport (SIN) to score the prestigious title of Skytrax’s World’s Best Airport for 2024. 

The airport, which opened in 2014, snagged the honors for the third time in its young history, noted for being “the most architecturally significant terminal complex in the world,” the awards site described. 

The innovative design takes its inspiration from the Arabian Gulf’s gentle waves, drawing up to 58 million travelers into its dramatic light-infused spaces. Its most iconic feature is a massive tropical garden called the Orchard, covering more than 64,000 square feet with more than 300 plants and 25,000 plants. Within the green oasis, a nearly 6,200-square-foot water feature dazzles and delights. 

Named after a former Emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the stunning terminal also has more than 130 retail stores, 45 dining options, and an on-site Oryx Airport Hotel with a full-service spa and 82-foot pool. 

As the home base for the national carrier Qatar Airways, the group’s CEO Eng. Badr Al Meer said in a statement: “Our talented team is pioneering and committed to deliver excellent passenger experience with industry firsts and one-of-a-kind shopping and dining offerings set amidst our superlative infrastructure…We look forward to continuing to surprise and delight passengers by creating memorable and exceptional passenger journeys in the years to come.”

Doha Hammad led the domination of Asian airports, which took six of the top 10 spots, with Singapore Changi in second, Seoul's Incheon International Airport (ICN) in third, Tokyo's Haneda Airport (HND) in fourth, Tokyo's Narita International Airport (NRT) in fifth, and Dubai International Airport (DXB) in seventh.

European terminals scored the other four spots, with Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) in sixth, Munich International Airport (MUC) in eighth, Zurich Airport (ZRH) in ninth, and Istanbul Airport (IST) — located on the European side of the city — in 10th.

The highest-ranked airport in North America was Canada's Vancouver International Airport (YVR) in the 17th spot, while Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SEA) claimed the highest spot for U.S. airports in 24th place. Other top-ranked American terminals included Houston's William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) in 29th, New York City’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in 33rd, Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in 38th, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) in 46th, and San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in 47th.

Skytrax launched the World Airport Awards in 1999, based on the largest global survey of airport satisfaction of travelers from more than 100 nationalities, this year taken from August 2023 to March 2024 on a range of factors, including check-in, arrivals, shopping, immigration, and security.