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Most of us haven’t stepped into an international airport in the last year or so, but that doesn’t mean that these giant facilities have stopped trying to impress.

Airports all over have been working tirelessly in the background to maintain appearances, keeping those few travellers who are coming and going safe and on time.

For that reason, Skytrax saw no reason to skip this year’s ranking of the world’s best airports, formally known as the World Airport Awards.

Skytrax runs an airport customer satisfaction survey, where the World Airport Awards are voted for by customers from August 2020 until July 2021, per CNN.

The ‘World’s Best Airport’ for this year is a little surprising – Doha’s Hamad International Airport (pictured above).

For years, Doha has been climbing the ranks and has finally outpaced the airport that has been sitting in the number one spot for decades, Singapore’s Changi Airport.

This year, Changi came in third, which is still an achievement, but superfans who adore the airport’s ease, comfort, dining options, and indoor waterfall might be disappointed:

Image: Shutterstock

Qatar Airways, Doha’s flagship airline, helped the airport reach top spot, with the Qatari government investing in both the airport and the airline quite substantially:

Image: HOK.com

Hamad has it all:

Travellers on Qatar Airways who have a connecting flight at HIA can enjoy free city tours, gratis accommodation and food (depending on the length of the layover) and a VIP transfer service where airline employees meet visitors as they de-plane and guide them seamlessly through the airport and onto their connecting flight.

The other airports making it on to the top 10 list were from Asian and European countries.

Japan, a country known for its omotenashi (hospitality) and convenience, was voted best-rated country overall with three airports in the top 10, including both of Tokyo’s airports:

Narita:

Image: Ian Dagnall/Alamy Stock Photo

And Haneda:

Image: Shutterstock

The top 10 ‘World’s Best Airports’ are:

1.  Hamad International Airport (HIA)
2. Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND)
3. Singapore Changi Airport (SIN)
4. Incheon International Airport (ICN)
5. Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT)
6. Munich Airport (MUC)
7. Zurich Airport (ZRH)
8. London Heathrow Airport (LHR)
9. Kansai International Airport (KIX)
10. Hong Kong International Airport (HKG)

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Skytrax added another list to the awards this year, acknowledging those airports that did well to maintain hygiene and safety protocols for their travellers.

For the full list of 2021 winners, visit the Skytrax World Airport Awards website.

[source:cnn]