Drumroll, please! The winners of the annual Skytrax World Airport Awards (aka the Oscars of the aviation industry) have just been announced, and our very own Melbourne Airport has surged into the top 20 rankings, claiming 19th place – that’s up seven spots from 26th last year, for those playing along at home.
It was the only Australian airport to crack the top 20, with Brisbane Airport coming in at 23rd (down one place from last year) and Sydney Airport sliding to 49th (down from 41st last year and 28th in 2021). Gold Coast Airport jumped a massive 27 spots to 54th, while Perth Airport (58th) and Adelaide Airport (73rd) trailed behind.
The wins kept coming for Melbourne Airport; not only was it named the best airport in the Australia/Pacific region, but the thousands of people who work around the clock to keep things running smoothly were also awarded the best airport staff in Australia/Pacific.
In a surprise to no one who’s travelled through Singapore, Changi Airport (which boasts a pool, movie theatre, koi ponds, a butterfly garden and the world’s tallest indoor waterfall) came in first, taking the crown for a record twelfth time. The silver medal went to Qatar’s Hamad International Airport (which had taken the number one spot in both 2021 and 2022), and the bronze went to Tokyo International Airport in Haneda. The top ten was rounded out by Seoul Incheon Airport, Paris CDG Airport, Istanbul Airport, Munich Airport, Zurich Airport, Tokyo Narita Airport and Madrid Barajas Airport.
The rankings are based on data collected from global satisfaction surveys, and take into consideration factors like check-ins, transfers, terminal layouts, food and retail options, security, immigration and overall level of comfort. The results are also independent of any airport influence, so there’s no favouritism going on.