South Korea’s Incheon International Airport climbed three places from last year to rank seventh in this year’s World’s Best Awards survey by American magazine Travel+Leisure, earning a reader score of 85.9 out of 100.
Singapore’s Changi claimed the top spot with a score of 95.19, followed by Hamad International Airport in Qatar and Istanbul Airport in Turkey, based on 661,000 votes.
Zayed International Airport in UAE ranked fourth and Dubai International Airport rounded out the top five.
Ranked the world’s second-best behind Singapore’s Changi in the 2026 Skytrax World Airport Awards, Incheon Airport handled the highest number of international passengers among airports worldwide in the first quarter of the year, marking the first time it has claimed the top spot since opening in 2001.
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A terminal at South Korea’s Incheon Airport. Photo by AFP |
The airport has stepped up operations for the peak summer travel season by opening departure checkpoints earlier and deploying additional immigration officers.
Built on reclaimed land between Yeongjong and Yongyu islands, the 5,400-hectare airport is one of the world’s largest and busiest aviation hubs, featuring four runways, two main passenger terminals and extensive logistics and support facilities.