An ultra-luxurious airport has been crowned the new best travel hub in the world.
The prestigious Skytrax World Airport Awards - regularly called the Oscars of the airport industry - has been a two horse race between Singapore Changi and Doha’s Hamad International Airport in Qatar for several years. This year the latter has risen one place to take the crown, knocking the 12 times winner off the top spot.
The airport is absolutely vast, covering 600,000 square metre or the equivalent of 75 football fields, and stretching across a third of the city. By all accounts, moving through the gigantic airport is a breeze, in part because its now long running e-Passport scheme allows passengers to get past security in just ten minutes.
Despite the swiftness of its essential processes, passengers may want to allocate a little extra time to be in the airport ahead of their flight, simply because it is such a pleasant place to be. Doha Hamad has a reputation for being spotless and sparkling even at its most busy moments.
There are no loud-speaker announcements in the airport, meaning it retains a particular air of peace and quiet. It is also designed to echo the sea just outside, which much of the land it sits on was reclaimed from. Across the terminals are strange, eye-catching pieces of art to keep waiting guests entertained, such as a very large, yellow bear that is slumped on a pedestal with a lampshade on its head.
As well as the usual and to-be-expected luxury shops such as Burberry, Gucci, Rolex and Swarovski, there are comfortable leather chairs for guests to kick back in after a tiring holiday. For those who'd like a little extra help, a door-to-door service is available, in which a member of staff takes guests from the entrance of the terminal to boarding.
A 25-meter swimming pool, gym gear, two squash courts, hydrotherapy and spa treatments, and much else sit in the sports facility attached to HIA’s Oryx Hotel. Those lucky enough to find themselves in business or first class can use the Al Mourjan lounge, which is 10,000 square metres and features a formal restaurant and glitzy bar.
Another particularly fine feature that was added during the major overhaul of the ten-year-old airport back in 2022 are the 10,000 square meter indoor tropical garden, known as The Orchard, that provide a leafy, calm place to relax in.
“This year HIA celebrates its milestone 10th year of operations and we are truly honoured that passengers have voted us Best Airport in the World for a third time,” said Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer Badr Al Meer said of the victory.
World's top 10 best airports
- Hamad International Airport, Qatar
- Singapore Changi, Singapore
- Seoul Incheon, South Korea
- Tokyo Haneda, Japan
- Tokyo Narita, Japan
- Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, France
- Dubai International Airport, UAE
- Munich Airport, Germany
- Zurich Airport, Switzerland
- Istanbul Airport, Turkey
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