Hamad International Airport (HIA) in Qatar was just named the best airport in the world in the 2024 Skytrax awards, knocking 12-time winner Singapore Changi Airport down to second place.
The annual ranking is based on customer satisfaction surveys of over 500 airports, evaluating factors such as cleanliness, friendliness of airport staff, the ease of getting to and from the airport, terminal design, dining options, and more.
Hamad International Airport first opened in 2014, replacing the adjacent Doha International Airport as Qatar's main aviation hub. The airport is operated by Qatar Airways, which is consistently ranked one of the best international airlines in the Condé Nast Traveler Reader's Choice Awards, and is the only airport designed specifically for the Airbus A380 plane. This year marks the third time the airport has won the prestigious industry award.
So, what exactly sets the airport apart from the competition? One of its newest—and most ambitious—features is the “Orchard,” a 6,000-square-meter indoor tropical garden with 65 retail and dining venues launched in 2022 as part of a multi-year expansion project. Home to over 300 trees and 25,000 plants from sustainable forests around the world, it's one of the airport's many green initiatives that includes a waste management program that recycles 3,979 tons of organic compost per year to be used as fertilizer.
“Throughout our young history, we have continued to showcase our commitment to environmental sustainability–from improving carbon efficiency to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and managing wastewater," Michael McMillan, the airport's vice president of facilities management said in a 2022 news release. “Sustainability has proudly been at the forefront of what we do since our inception.”
Over the past couple years, the airport has also added a brand-new airport hotel, Oryx Garden Hotel, as well as four new airport lounges, including the glamorous Louis Vuitton Lounge. In addition to Louis Vuitton, the airport's massive retail center Qatar Duty Free has an entire “street” called Viale del Lusso devoted to luxury shops like Dolce&Gabbana, Jimmy Choo, and Valentino. It perhaps comes at no surprise then that the airport also won Skytrax's 2024 award for the world’s best airport shopping.
The airport served over 45 million passengers in 2023, a 31% increase compared to the previous year, surpassing the previous record set during the FIFA World Cup. HIA has also added new international airline partners, including Vistara, Iberia, Xiamen Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, and Japan Airlines, and serves over 250 destinations. The airport's rapid growth shows now signs of stopping: the second phase of the expansion, scheduled to begin in 2023, aims to expand the airport's capacity to over 70 million annual passengers.
“Our continuous investment in our facilities and pioneering initiatives in retail and hospitality within a single expansive terminal has made this achievement possible," Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, the CEO of Qatar Airways Group, said in a news release. "We have introduced a diverse range of experiences at the airport, including ‘Souq Al Matar’, which brings Qatari hospitality and culture closer to travelers; ‘Orchard’, the ideal place for relaxation and rejuvenation between flights; and an array of high-end lounges.”
Other standout winners in the 2024 Skytrax airport awards include Seoul's Incheon Airport, the world’s most family friendly airport; Tokyo's Haneda Airport, the world’s cleanest airport; and the Istanbul Airport, for the world’s best airport dining experience.
Below, see the world's best airports, according to the 2024 Skytrax World Airport Awards. How many have you been to?
The World’s Top 20 Airports for 2024
- Doha Hamad Airport
- Singapore Changi Airport
- Seoul Incheon Airport
- Tokyo Haneda Airport
- Tokyo Narita Airport
- Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
- Dubai Airport
- Munich Airport
- Zurich Airport
- Istanbul Airport
- Hong Kong Airport
- Rome Fiumicino Airport
- Vienna Airport
- Helsinki-Vantaa
- Madrid-Barajas
- Centrair Nagoya Airport
- Vancouver Airport
- Kansai Airport
- Melbourne Airport
- Copenhagen Airport