Cape Town International airport rated as Africa’s best

By Mark Ogagan

Cape Town International Airport continues to soar after being crowned Africa’s Best Airport (yet again) and clinching the continent’s Best Airport Staff Service title at the 2025 World Airport Awards held in Madrid, Spain, last Wednesday.

Regarded as the gold standard in global airport benchmarking, the awards assess customer service and facilities at more than 575 airports.

They are based on Skytrax’s world airport survey, which collected feedback from travellers of more than 100 nationalities between August 2024 and February this year.

The survey evaluated key aspects of the passenger experience, including check-in, arrivals, transfers, shopping, security, immigration and boarding.

Singapore’s Changi Airport took top honours as the world’s best in 2025, marking its 13th win in the award’s history. It also scooped accolades for best airport dining, best washrooms and best in Asia.

“It is a great achievement for Singapore Changi Airport to receive the highest award as the World’s Best Airport 2025, this being a record-breaking 13th time in the award’s history,” said Skytrax CEO Edward Plaisted.

“The diversity and expansive choice of dining outlets is also recognised with Changi Airport winning the award for the World’s Best Airport Dining. With washrooms a major driver of customer satisfaction during their airport experience, we congratulate Singapore Changi Airport on receiving the first World’s Best Airport Washrooms award.”

The world’s top 20 airports for 2025:

1. Singapore Changi Airport
2. Hamad International Airport (Doha)
3. Tokyo International Airport (Japan)
4. Incheon International Airport (Seoul)
5. Narita International Airport (Japan)
6. Hong Kong International Airport
7. Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (France)
8. Rome Fiumicino Airport (Italy)
9. Munich Airport (Germany)
10. Zurich Airport (Switzerland)
11. Dubai International Airport (UAE)
12. Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (Finland)
13. Vancouver International Airport (Canada)
14. Istanbul Airport (Turkey)
15. Vienna International Airport (Austria)
16. Melbourne Airport (Australia)
17. Chubu Centrair International Airport (Japan)
18. Copenhagen Airport (Denmark)
19. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (Netherlands)
20. Bahrain International Airport

Top airports by passenger volume in 2025:

• Tokyo International Airport — 70+million (passengers)
• Singapore Changi Airport — 60-70-million
• Hamad International Airport — 50-60-million
• Rome Fiumicino Airport — 40-50-million
• Narita International Airport — 30-40-million
• Zurich Airport — 20-30-million
• Helsinki-Vantaa Airport — 10-20-million
• Bahrain International Airport — 5-10-million
• Goa Manohar International Airport (India) — Less than 5-million

Tokyo Haneda Airport was also voted World’s Cleanest Airport while Seoul’s Incheon Airport earned praise for having the World’s Best Airport Staff.

Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport won the title for World’s Best Airport Baggage Delivery, and Copenhagen Airport was recognised for Best Airport Security Processing.

Houston Airport System in the US was honoured for delivering the World’s Best Airport Art for the third consecutive year.

Berlin Brandenburg Airport in Germany was named the World’s Most Improved Airport while Istanbul Airport picked up the award for the World’s Most Family Friendly Airport.