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World's top 20 airports for 2025 revealed — and the US had a dreadful showing

World's top 20 airports for 2025 revealed — and the US had a dreadful showing

New York Post12-05-2025

A new ranking has revealed the world's best airport — and a record has been broken.
Singapore Changi Airport has been crowned the world's best airport for 2025, according to the Skytrax World Airport Awards.
It's a record-busting 13th time the hub, one of the busiest passenger airports for Southeast Asia, has won the title from the rating service.
3 A bridge links to the Rain Vortex dome at the Jewel shopping mall at Singapore Changi Airport.
ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images
The only airport in the Americas to make the world's best list was Vancouver International at No. 13.
However, the Skytrax ranking for Best Airport in North America saw one of New York's take a top spot.
LaGuardia Airport was named the best in the nifty 50 for domestic and short-haul international travel.
'A decade ago, the suggestion that LaGuardia Airport would one day be recognized on the world stage as the best regional airport in North America would have been laughable,' Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton admitted in a statement.
'But the Port Authority and our private partners have built what we promised – a world-class airport, with inspiring architecture, public art, iconic concessions and state-of-the-art technology that has propelled LaGuardia from worst to best in the nation in the eyes of the critics and passengers alike.'
It's an improvement from last year's fourth-place spot for LGA.
Plaisted added that 'LaGuardia Airport's evolution over the past decade is nothing short of extraordinary.'
Back to the list-topper, Singapore Changi Airport is known for its unrivaled passenger experience — but it's also a destination within itself.
It features a 10-story shopping mall, multiple indoor gardens, a butterfly center, a spa, hotels, art exhibitions, a museum, a cinema, a dinosaur theme park and the Rain Vortex, which is the world's largest indoor waterfall at around 130 feet tall.
Early check-in has even been introduced there, allowing flyers to drop their bags off up to 48 hours in advance so they can spend time at the much-appreciated stop as part of their vacation.
Changi also received other awards from Skytrax, including the World's Best Airport Dining, the Best Airport in Asia, and its first-ever award for World's Best Airport Washrooms.
3 Tourists sleep on sofas in Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 4.
ruelleruelle/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
'The diversity and expansive choice of dining outlets is also recognized with Changi Airport winning the award for the World's Best Airport Dining,' Edward Plaisted, CEO of Skytrax, said in a statement. 'With washrooms being a major driver of customer satisfaction during their airport experience, we congratulate Singapore Changi Airport on receiving the first ever World's Best Airport Washrooms award.'
The world's second-best airport, according to the report, is Hamad International in Qatar, known for its artwork and architecture. It also won awards for Best Airport Shipping and Best Airport in the Middle East.
Spots three through six were nabbed by Asian airports. Tokyo Haneda, also named the World's Cleanest Airport, came in third place. Fourth was Seoul's Incheon International, which was also awarded World's Best Airport Staff, followed by Narita International in fifth and Hong Kong International in sixth.
3 The Rain Vortex at Singapore Changi Airport is the world's largest indoor waterfall, at around 130 feet tall.
ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images
World's top 20 airports for 2025
Singapore Changi Airport Hamad International Airport Tokyo International Airport (Haneda) Incheon International Airport Narita International Airport Hong Kong International Airport Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport Rome Fiumicino Airport Munich Airport Zurich Airport Dubai International Airport Helsinki-Vantaa Airport Vancouver International Airport Istanbul Airport Vienna International Airport Melbourne Airport Chubu Centrair International Airport Copenhagen Airport Amsterdam Schiphol Airport Bahrain International Airport

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