The Most Luxurious Airports In The World, According To Research

Gone are the days when airports were just standard transit hubs. With luxury experiences to rival those of five-star hotels, some of the best airports have become popular destinations in their own right, to the point where many travelers now select flights specifically based on their layover airport. While some airports offer breathtaking views that make a window seat a must-have, the most luxurious airports are able to entice travelers from all over the globe with services that make travel much more pleasurable than it ever has been. From elite experiences like Michelin-starred dining to designer boutiques, outstanding luxury lounges, and full-service spas, the best airports have redefined travel to the point that many layovers can be considered high-class retreats rather than travel inconveniences.

Skytrax is a UK-based research organization that specializes in the aviation industry. It has been providing independent ratings and audits for airlines and airports worldwide since 1989 and established the World Airport Awards in 1999. This initiative is designed to provide an independent, impartial, and globally recognized awards program based on customer satisfaction surveys. The organization also states that it "refuses to allow commercial bias to impact procedures." On top of an overall winner, there are awards for several other categories, including dining, shopping, and staff. Let's take a look at 2024's top 10 and some of their more luxurious aspects.

Istanbul Airport experienced the biggest drop among the Skytrax top 10, falling from the lofty heights of sixth in 2023 to 10th in 2024. However, this is the place to have a layover; the longer, the better! So, put that airline meal to the side and wait until your pit stop here, because Istanbul Airport won the Skytrax Best Airport for Dining award in 2024. It's crammed full of eateries to suit all budgets, from gourmet sandwiches to traditional Turkish cuisine. There's even a Burger King if you're pushed for time.

However, if it is a burger you're craving, Jackie's Bar & Burger Jack offers an American-style dining experience. You can also enjoy the world-famous chef Nusret Gökçe's Saltbae Burger for high-end patties and a theatrical dining experience. Additionally, there's an abundance of places to sample local cuisine, including Tadında Anadolu, which serves a range of traditional dishes from the Anatolia region. Luxury dining options include Bottega Prosecco Bar, a premium Italian restaurant with fine wines. You can find this place in the area known as Luxury Hall in international departures. It's surrounded by world-renowned fashion boutiques for a little duty-free shopping after your meal. 

The Diamond Area is another luxury retail space where you can find all the designer brands you need, while exclusive airport lounges like the iGA Lounge and Turkish Airlines Business Lounge have seating for hundreds of guests with fine dining and private relaxation areas. iGA also provides private workspaces and meeting rooms for business travelers. And, if your layover is particularly long, you can indulge yourself in luxury accommodation at the YOTELAIR hotel, while the Ambassador Spa & Beauty Salon provides full-service treatments.

Zurich Airport drops down one place from 2023's top 10 list, but don't mistake that as a drop in standards. Despite the rise in competition, ZRH maintains its excellent reputation. According to Skytrax, Zurich Airport is a four-star hub with premium check-in facilities and excellent dayrooms. For long layovers, passengers can enjoy the Radisson Blu Hotel, which offers everything from high-end rooms for solo travelers to multi-room options for friends and families.

The airport also scores highly with Skytrax for its luxury shopping, including a wide selection of Swiss and international brands in luxury boutiques, duty-free shops, and specialty stores. However, travelers can take the opulence up a notch at The Circle, a massive modern business and lifestyle complex located at the airport. It offers restaurants, hotels, retail stores, a convention center, and entertainment. Shopping includes everything from luxury Swiss watches to irresistible Swiss chocolate.

Adjacent to The Circle is a unique 860,000-square-foot park. The Airport Park is a pleasant green space that offers recreation, nature, and events. Walking and jogging trails give you some much-needed exercise between flights, or you can take to the sky platform for panoramic vistas of the Alps on a clear day, one of Switzerland's prettiest and most iconic sites. High-end travelers can enjoy private events at the park's pavilion, while anyone can enjoy the secluded seating and relaxation areas found throughout this tranquil area. 

Having won the Skytrax Best Airport in Europe award 13 times in 15 years, Germany's Munich Airport will be aiming higher than the eighth place it currently occupies in world rankings. As one of only three five-star hubs in Europe (the others are Istanbul and Rome), the airport is an exercise in efficiency, with high service standards and passenger-friendly innovations among the key factors that contribute to its world-class status.

Terminal 2 is a major contributor to the airport's solid international reputation. It first opened in 2003 and expanded with the construction of a satellite terminal in 2016. This increased the annual capacity from 11 million to a whopping 36 million passengers. However, the terminal's layout is optimized for short connection times. Automated services include biometric boarding gates, self-service check-in kiosks, and smart baggage handling. AI-powered systems are in the testing phase to help manage baggage, cargo, and security more efficiently, while robots like JEEVES the snackbot offer passengers convenience.

With all this cutting-edge service on offer, MUC is implementing some seriously exciting changes for passengers. However, the authorities aren't resting on their laurels. In collaboration with Airbus, electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) taxis are in development. The CityAirbus NextGen is designed to take a pilot and up to three passengers into the city, with remotely piloted prototype flight tests having begun in late 2024. All this revolutionary innovation adds up to Munich Airport being one to keep an eye on as a riser in future global airport rankings. Oh, and you don't even need to leave the airport to experience your first authentic German beer garden.

Surprisingly, the colossal Dubai International Airport is a new entry into the Skytrax top 10, which begs the question of why it took so long to be acknowledged. As a global hub between East and West, it's a key location for both business travelers and tourists to other countries, while Dubai itself is a growing destination for vacationers. DXB saw an astonishing 92.3 million passengers make their way through in 2024. This makes it that year's second-busiest airport after Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International. 

With state-of-the-art infrastructure, including biometric screening and automated passport control, movement is highly efficient, while touchless check-in systems and advanced baggage processing streamline the whole airport experience. However, Dubai International is primarily known for its high-end services, including premium shopping and a dizzying variety of gourmet dining. In fact, a 2024 study of more than 1,800 airports by AllClear Travel Insurance named DXB as the world's most luxurious, narrowly pipping London Heathrow to the post. Airports were assessed on several factors, including the number of luxury stores on offer, the presence of champagne bars or caviar houses, luxury lounge offerings, and the availability of four- and five-star hotels within a 3-mile radius of the airport.

Upscale lounges like the largest first-class lounge in the world are on offer, while holistic spa treatments at World of Wellness and Timeless Spa are the perfect way to unwind on a layover. Luxury brands from Rolex and Gucci — among many others — feature throughout the airport, and you can find fine dining in abundance at restaurants like The Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck and Bottega.

Some might call it a terrible airport to be avoided, but Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris is rated as the best in Europe by Skytrax. With its eye-catching displays of Parisian art and endless luxury brand shopping, CDG leads the way when it comes to art exhibits and fashion outlets. But then, you'd probably expect nothing less from a leading French airport. In terms of shopping pleasure, you get excellent customer service and luxury items at significantly discounted prices at Celine. If Bottega Veneta is more your thing, you can find unique and bold designs from this luxury brand that are hard to find anywhere else. Another excellent store for the luxury shopper is Saint Laurent, with its classic designs at discounted rates comparing favorably to Paris city stores and U.S. retail prices. 

For art fans, Terminal 1 has the most displays. There's an exhibit showcasing the work of French master sculptor Auguste Rodin called Parcours d'un génie (Journey of a Genius), while photography fans will be impressed with the work from celebrated French photographers on display at Ateliers d'artistes (Artists' workshops) in Terminal 2B. There is also an abundance of other exhibits that capture the essence of Parisian artistic culture for any art lovers with a long layover. Among these is the Espace Musées (Museum Area) in Terminal 2E, which offers temporary exhibitions twice a year that have featured original works from Paris museums and French masters.

The top five airports in the Skytrax best-of list all feature airports in Asia, and Narita International Airport is one of two entries from Tokyo. Narita is the biggest riser in the top 10, having climbed four places from ninth to fifth in 2024. With cultural exhibits and superb capsule hotels, it's an excellent place to enjoy a layover or even arrive early for your flight. However, this particular airport is renowned for its outstanding customer service. So much so that Skytrax awarded it the gong for the World's Best Airport Staff in 2024. This award recognizes all staff who interact with customers and passengers, including store and restaurant workers, as well as security, immigration, and customer information counters. 

That said, the airport has a tumultuous past. The Sanrizuka Struggle was a movement of farmers, environmentalists, and activists who were opposed to the land seizures and industrial expansion associated with the airport's development. Peaceful protests were met with violence, and major clashes occurred in the '60s and '70s, which even resulted in the deaths of some policemen and protestors. These clashes led to a delay in the airport's opening until 1978, and there is even a house located in the middle of the airport that one farmer — Takao Shito — refused to abandon. This forced authorities to build around his farm with high fences installed that separate his home from his fields. This house and the airport's proximity to other areas with residents strongly opposed to construction mean that the airport is closed every night from 11 p.m. until 6 a.m. to mitigate noise.

Haneda Airport — also known as Tokyo International — may be down one place in the Skytrax top 10. However, the airport review and ranking organization saw fit to award it a double prize in 2024. Haneda proudly received the World's Cleanest Airport once again on top of the World's Best Domestic Airport award in 2024. It was also given a five-star rating for the 11th consecutive year by Skytrax. This was in recognition of its consistently high service, passenger-friendly facilities, and, of course, exceptional cleanliness. Additionally, streamlined passenger processing and outstanding shopping and dining have contributed to Haneda maintaining its world-class status year after year. 

Passengers at HND can visit Edo Alley in Terminal 3, a shopping and dining area styled after historical Tokyo. For a more contemporary cultural experience, Tokyo Pop Town showcases anime and manga merchandise. The Japanese quirkiness extends to the "Robohon," a small humanoid robot guide that passengers can hire. Shopping is in abundance, and dining is fantastic, especially those offering Japanese cuisine. Yoshinoya offers passengers an exclusive premium wagyu beef menu, a delicacy that is a must-experience in Japan. Additionally, Haneda Airport Garden — connected to Terminal 3 — features more restaurants, shopping, and hotels, including the Villa Fontaine Premier and Villa Fontaine Grand, which offer on-site hot spring facilities. If you don't need a room, the airport garden also has a hot spring where you can soak your bones and unwind between flights.

If you're traveling with the whole family and have a long layover at Incheon International Airport in Seoul, South Korea, fear not! Skytrax awarded it the World's Most Family-Friendly Airport in 2024. With everything from security facilities solely for families to top-class play areas, a free baby stroller rental service, and excellent baby and childcare rooms, this airport aims to take the stress out of travel for parents and ease the boredom for children. 

Kids Zone — located in Terminal 2 — is one of the best places where children can play and pass the time between flights, and Digital Gym is another T2 play area. Here, kids and adults can exercise through interactive video games, mini trampolines, and basketball dunking games. Terminal 1 also has Kids Zones sprinkled throughout with miniature rocket ships and airplanes to play on, as well as a Blue Underwater Brick Maze with Baby Shark characters. All the Kids Zones are free to use, and there's even the unexpected inclusion of an ice rink that the whole family can enjoy. 

When children have spent too much energy or adults are exhausted between flights, Unwind Zone provides beds for short naps, while you can also relax in comfortable chairs with phone chargers in the Relax Zone. There are also quality shower rooms and stretching rooms for light exercise, while Prana Spas offers massages and relaxation treatments. Capsule Hotel DarakHyu and Walkerhill Transit Hotel offer comfortable beds for long layovers. However, the fully awake can arrange free guided tours into Seoul to visit selected tourist attractions, such as cultural tours to famous temples and markets or shopping tours, among other programs.

Former serial winner Singapore Changi Airport has dropped from first place to second in 2024, but it remains as iconic as ever. It houses the Rain Vortex, the world's tallest indoor waterfall, an image that visitors to the airport never forget. This 131-foot-high tower of water is such an attraction that people who aren't even flying often come to see it. It cascades down eight stories from an oculus in the center of the building's glass roof and plunges into the lush Shiseido Forest Valley, which is covered by more than 900 trees and 60,000 shrubs.

In fact, the entire 5,900-acre area is richly verdant, with over 2,000 trees and palms and 100,000 shrubs with species from all over the world. Visitors can also enjoy the landscaped recreational area of Canopy Park with play areas, floral gardens, topiary displays, and a hedge maze. There are also sky nets for bouncing and walking above the greenery below and a 75-foot-high canopy suspension bridge with panoramic views. 

However, it's not all about waterfalls and forests; Changi has over 300 shopping and dining options, including upscale brands and tech stores, such as Apple. Yet, it's the immigration staff and the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport hotel that scooped Skytrax awards in 2024. With the World's Best Airport Immigration Service and the World's Best Airport Hotel, Changi is still very much an aviation powerhouse. The Crowne Plaza offers luxury rooms and suites with pool and runway views, as well as world-class wining and dining at the Allora Ristorante and Bar, an authentic Italian restaurant recognized as one of the top 100 on the planet.

Since its expansion for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Qatar's Hamad International has been a serious challenger to Singapore Changi. In 2024, it won the Skytrax Airport of the Year award for the third time in four years. However, that's not the only title it won; it also received the award for the World's Best Airport Shopping. The shopping on offer is truly world-class, with boutiques from just about every leading luxury brand on the planet. The airport's duty-free zone provides tax-free shopping on these designer goods, as well as perfumes, gourmet chocolates, and high-end electronics.

Travelers can also find handcrafted Qatari souvenirs, including oud perfumes, gold jewelry, and traditional textiles, while personalized items, such as engraved jewelry and bespoke fragrances, add exclusivity. Beyond shopping, luxury lounges, fine dining, and premium services club together to enhance the whole opulent experience. Indeed, the airport is a destination in itself for those seeking indulgence before their journey.

However, all this luxury came at a cost. As per the International Trade Union Confederation and its 2015 Frontlines Report, migrant workers in Qatar's construction sector were subjected to forced labor under the country's kafala system. This included those working at the airport. Employees were bound to their employers, denied the right to leave the country without permission, and faced exploitative conditions. These included withheld wages, extreme working hours, overcrowded and unsanitary living conditions, and dangerous worksites that led to workplace injuries and fatalities. International companies involved in major infrastructure projects in the country failed to enforce labor rights, and the Qatari government restricted independent investigations into abuses. Just something to consider when marveling at the opulence that prompted Skytrax to bestow Hamad International Airport with multiple awards.