LONDON – These are the World’s top 10 airports during the 2017-2018 WorldAirport Survey, conducted by Skytrax.
The awards are one of the most prestigious accolades in the airportindustry and are widely known as the Passengers Choice Awards.
*Here are the top 10 airports of 2018*
*Changi Airport, Singapore*
Singapore’s Changi Airport has been named the World’s Best Airport by usersfor the sixth time in a row at the annual Skytrax World Airport Awards heldin Sweden. In 2017, the airport clocked 60 million passengers from almost100 countries around the world. The airport’s world-class facilities haveplayed a large role in propelling it to the top slot for the past fewyears. With two dozen lounges, movie theatres screening films for free, arooftop swimming pool and a sunflower nursery with home-grown plants, theairport is any customer’s delight. The airport is also fully automated withfacial recognition technology.
*Incheon International Airport, South Korea*
The largest airport of South Korea, Incheon International Airport alsohappens to be one of the world’s busiest airports. It has also been titledthe world’s cleanest airport and the world’s best international transitairport by Skytrax earlier. Airport authorities claim that the averagedeparture and arrival procedures can be completed under 20 minutes, ascompared to a worldwide average of 45 to 60 minutes, thus ranking among thefastest airports in the world for customs processing. The airport has agolf course, spa, private sleeping rooms, an ice skating rink, a casino,indoor gardens, and a Museum of Korean Culture.
*Tokyo International Airport*
Commonly known as the Haneda Airport, this is the primary base of Japan’stwo major domestic airlines, Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways. Theairport has also been awarded the World’s Best Domestic Airport and theWorld’s Cleanest Airport this year. An observation deck allows thepassengers to admire the majestic view of the runway and aircraft parkingbays from this rooftop haven. It also has a conference hall used for eventslike music concert, press conference etc.
*Hong Kong International Airport*
The airport is the world’s busiest cargo gateway and one of the world’sbusiest passenger airports. It is also home to one of the world’s largestpassenger terminal buildings. It serves over 100 airlines and connects toabout 180 destinations worldwide. It has an indoor golf club, an AviationDiscovery Centre and premium lounge services. It is also home to classicCantonese dishes and has been awarded the Best Airport for Dining.
*Hamad International Airport*
The international airport in Doha can accommodate up to 30 millionpassengers annually and has been described as the most architecturallysignificant terminal complex in the world. The most prominent figure insidethe airport is a giant bronze statue of a teddy bear with its head in alamp. Standing at seven meters tall and weighing approximately 18-20 tons,the statue is known as “Lamp Bear” and is on display in the grand foyer ofthe airport’s duty-free shopping hall.
*Munich Airport*
The seventh busiest airport of Europe, the Munich Airport is the secondaryhub for Lufthansa German Airlines. The airport has been awarded the titleof top European Airport by Skytrax for many years. Apart from anobservation deck, the airport has a bicycle track running parallel to therunway. The passengers will pass the terminals, the tower and the variousworking areas of the airport while riding the cycle. It is also home to anumber of retail stores as well as restaurants. It was named the BestAirport in Europe for 2018.
*Central Japan International Airport*
Better known as Centrair, the airport is classified as a first-classairport and is the main international gateway for the Chubu (central)region of Japan. The airport has a large domestic traffic percentage andwas named the World’s Best Regional Airport in 2018.
*Heathrow Airport*
This London’s airport is the second busiest airport in the world byinternational passenger traffic and handles a record 78.0 millionpassengers in 2017. This is the primary hub for British Airways and theprimary operating base for Virgin Atlantic. The airport has a multi-faithprayer room and counselling room in each terminal, in addition to Anglican,Catholic, Free Church, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh chaplains. Theairport has its own resident press corps, consisting of six photographersand one TV crew, serving all the major newspapers and television stationsaround the world.
*Zurich Airport*
The largest international airport of Switzerland, Zurich airport is theprincipal hub for Swiss International Airlines. The airport has passengerdecks, playroom for children and lounges for passengers to relax.
*Frankfurt Airport*
Frankfurt Airport is the busiest airport by passenger traffic in Germanyand serves more than 300 destinations in 5 continents, making it theairport with the most direct routes in the world. It has a directconnection to the European high-speed network of German Rail and passengerscan easily change terminals at the airport using a transit system calledskyline.