The World's Cleanest Airport Raised Expectations For Travelers

Navigating airports is stressful, to say the least, with how you often have to dodge crowds, conquer lengthy security lines, and endure the odd scents of recycled air. So when you find an airport that doesn't make you want to abandon your trip from the get-go, it's nothing short of miraculous. For instance, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) is frequently lauded as North America's finest due to its outstanding customer service. Then there's Istanbul International Airport (IST), often revered as the go-to hub for layovers that don't feel like layovers. But when it comes to cleanliness, one airport plays in a league of its own — Tokyo's Haneda International Airport (HND) consistently outranks its competitors, and it doesn't look like it will give that distinction away anytime soon, or perhaps ever.

You might think a place swarming with tourists would struggle to keep a bathroom mirror smudge-free, yet HND outshines its global counterparts time and time again. It has scooped up the title of the World's Cleanest Airport from Skytrax year after year — 11 times, to be exact, including a nine-year winning streak. Skytrax's annual report is based on thorough customer surveys conducted throughout a span of a year and assesses various aspects of airport cleanliness, such as terminal, communal areas, and bathroom maintenance. Almost every time, HND received top marks, beating out the likes of Singapore's Changi International Airport and Seoul's Incheon International Airport. "Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the standards of airport cleanliness have become much more important to customers," the organization said on its website (via MSN). "Airports maintaining these highest standards are well featured in the best airport cleanliness results."

To describe HND's commitment to cleanliness as thorough would barely scratch the surface. Under the guiding principle of "omotenashi," or the pinnacle of Japanese hospitality, HND has practically transformed tidiness into an art form. With a whopping 700 cleaners on the payroll, this airport goes all out in ensuring that every corner, nook, and cranny sparkles 24/7. And yes, there's a secret sauce to their spotlessness. According to Toyo Keizai, HND employs the "Haneda-style cleaning method," which was developed using science-backed techniques imported from the U.S. and Europe and refined over the years.

And they don't just hire anyone. Aspiring cleaning staff members of HND must first pass the national "Building Cleaning Technician" exam before they can even be considered for the role. Training is comprehensive and intense, encompassing the proper use of tools and detergents, detailed cleaning techniques, and customer service that ensures minimal disruption to travelers — all delivered with a polite demeanor.

It's pretty clear that HND takes pride in its status as being the world's cleanest, and by the looks of it, it's unwilling to hand over the title to any other airport. "[HND] is committed to providing hospitality from a customer perspective through facilities and attentive services by human agents while always being grateful to customers who use the airport and maintaining a high level of awareness of its role as the gateway to Japan," it noted in a press release. "Haneda Airport will continue to pursue its vision and aim to become an advanced airport that continues to be trusted by a wide range of stakeholders, including customers from around the world and the aviation industry, and that is friendly to both people and the environment."

Impressively, HND isn't just about keeping the floors so clean you could eat sushi off them — it's also recognized for its accessibility efforts. Awarded by Skytrax as having the "World's Best PRM and Accessible Facilities" for the sixth consecutive year in 2024, HND is making sure that everyone, whether wheeling, walking, or anything in between, can navigate its terminals with ease. It has been crowned as being the best in providing PRM-friendly features like dedicated parking, priority seating, specialized bathrooms, seamless wheelchair access, and hands-on assistance services, beating out its sister airport, Tokyo Narita, and other world-class airports like Italy's Rome Fiumicino Airport and Hong Kong International Airport. Per The Japan Times, in 2024, it has also begun testing out clear-screen translation systems to assist hard-of-hearing travelers, as well as offer quickfire information to international visitors.

Looking to the future, HND has its sights set high with a plan to not just be the world's best airport but to transform itself into the "most advanced, human-and-eco-friendly airport" by 2030. With plans to funnel a cool ¥150 billion (about $1.02 billion) into this vision, they're betting big on everything from state-of-the-art robots to swanky terminal facelifts and business jet services. If HND pulls this off, it won't just be the cleanest airport or the most accessible — it'll set a new gold standard in the industry, an example of what modern airports can aspire to be.