With our sights set on summer vacations – or perhaps a short spring getaway – information about airports becomes of special interest. In them we spend hours waiting for a flight that will take us to our destination or back home. But not all airfields are the same: there are sad ones with hardly any services; small, but functional and capable of responding to the needs of the average traveler; There are some famous for their long lines or for the discomfort they cause to passengers… and, finally, there are infrastructures that play in another league.
They are airports that, while still being a place of passage, turn the stay into an experience in itself. Quality restaurants, indoor gardens, cinemas, rooftop terraces from which to watch aircraft take off and land, museums, activities for children… the offer is almost unlimited. And it is precisely these types of services and the attention they give to users that are the highlights of the World Airport Awards.
The most prestigious awards in the sector given by Skytrax, the portal specialized in air transport, are a true reflection of the situation, since they are based on the opinion of passengers at more than 570 facilities on five continents. They value aspects as diverse as the design of the terminal, the attention of the staff, arrivals and departures, the shopping offer, security or comfort.
The surprise of this year’s edition is the election of Doha’s Hamad as the best airport in the world. The facilities in the Qatari capital replace Singapore’s Changi, an airfield that since 1999 has been recognized as No. 1 on 12 occasions. The current top ten barely shows any changes compared to 2023, beyond the dance of positions, and the entry of the Dubai airfield to the detriment of Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas, which falls from tenth to fifteenth place.
There is no word that more accurately describes Doha’s Hamad Airport than luxurious. Recognized as the best on the planet on two other occasions – in 2021 and 2022 -, it was inaugurated a decade ago after nine years of work, and the truth is that it offers five-star services.
The project, signed by the prestigious architecture studio HOK of San Francisco, is an authentic oasis of more than 22 km2, much of it reclaimed from the sea. The silhouette of the building from the air, with undulating roofs reminiscent of the gentle waves of the Persian Gulf, the sand dunes and the typical vegetation of the desert, already predicts what the passenger will find upon landing: spectacular facilities that prioritize above all the comfort, illuminated during the day by natural light through hundreds of diamond-shaped skylights. The feeling, despite the traffic, is one of tranquility and silence.
Qatar Airways’ main hub, which last year reached close to 50 million passengers, has the capacity to receive more than 58 million after the expansion carried out before the 2022 Qatar World Cup. It then added a second airport hotel, the Oryx Garden Hotel, and an indoor tropical garden, with more than 25,000 plants and more than 300 trees.
Also recognized this year as the no. , Loro Piana or Dior, which has just opened a Dior Spa. Between purchases and purchases, in Hamad no one will go hungry. And the gastronomic offer is up to par, with restaurants with the most select and varied cuisines. From Arabic food establishments, to Italian, American or international. Among the most exclusive proposals is the first Louis Vuitton airport VIP lounge in the world, where it is possible to enjoy the cuisine of the renowned Michelin-starred chef Yannick Alléno.
After a long trip, what better than practicing physical exercise to loosen the body’s numbness while we wait to take the next flight? In Doha everything is possible thanks to its multiple spaces that include a fitness center, indoor pool, squash courts, spa with beauty treatments or to combat jet lag, sleeping capsules… Likewise, the airport has spaces reserved for the care of the soul: rooms set up for prayer, as well as mosques. One of them, truly spectacular, is located outside the terminal. Built in the shape of a drop of water, it allows you to enjoy beautiful views.
Art lovers are also in luck. Hamad has an excellent selection of works by great national and international creators, curated in collaboration with Qatar’s museums. One of the most well-known and iconic pieces is Lamp Bear, by Swiss artist Urs Fischer, a giant yellow teddy bear sitting under a black lamp located in the main departure hall. Somewhat more hidden, next to the boarding gates, another striking work of radical modern art stands out: Small Lie, by the New York pop artist KAWS, which once required the removal of an entire wall to be installed.
If the stopover in Qatar exceeds five hours, it is an excellent opportunity to get to know the city through a guided tour – day or night – of the most emblematic attractions and monuments such as Katara, The Pearl, the Museum of Islamic Art and Souq Waqif.
The runner-up in this edition of the World Airport Awards, Changi, did not leave empty-handed. The Singapore terminal has also been recognized as the best Asian airport and the one with the best airport immigration service on the planet. For its part, the Korean Incheon, which has climbed to third position in the 2024 Skytrax ranking, has established itself as the most familiar aerodrome. The fourth and fifth places are occupied by two Japanese, Haneda and Narita, both from Tokyo and with outstanding results in cleanliness and as No. 1 in the category of national airports, the first, and with the best staff on the planet, the second.
The most successful European facilities in this edition, in sixth position, are those of Charles de Gaulle, in Paris, whose terminal 3 is considered the best low-cost in the world. Dubai and Munich follow. The latter with very good results in the survey, with recognition as the best personnel service in Europe and the best airport in Central Europe. Zurich and Istanbul close the top ten of 2024. The Turkish city’s airfield has been voted No. 1 in southern Europe and best airport gastronomic experience.
