World's 20th best airport: Vancouver International Airport soars in the rankings

Mar 15 2023, 10:32 pm

It is that time of year again. In an industry celebration event held in Amsterdam today, Skytrax announced its 2023 recipients for the World Airports Awards, which are the world’s most prestigious and recognized awards in the aviation industry.

Based on tens of thousands of surveys by travellers around the world, Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is now the world’s 20th-best airport.

This represents a major year-over-year increase of eight spots from YVR’s previous global ranking of 28th in 2022.

In the late 2000s and the first half of the 2010s, YVR was regularly ranked as one of the world’s 10 best airports, but it has become far more competitive over the past decade with the completion of new and improved airports around the world.

YVR was pushed out of the top 10 global rankings starting in 2015; YVR ranked ninth in 2012, eighth in 2013, ninth in 2014, 11th in 2015, 14th in 2016, 13th in 2017, 14th in 2018, 17th in 2019, 13th in 2020, and 24th in 2021.

As well, YVR’s long-running streak of being named by Skytrax as North America’s best airport also came to an end in 2022 after 12 consecutive years.

For the second year in a row, YVR was beaten by Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) for the North American title. YVR is North America’s second-best airport in 2023, just ahead of Houston William Hobby International Airport.

SEA now comes ahead of YVR largely due to its immensely improved passenger experience following the Spring 2022 opening of its massive US$1.2 billion international terminal building expansion. SEA is also now the 18th best airport in the world, up from 27th in 2022.

YVR’s ranking for 2023 likely also improved with the help of the full opening of the Pier D international terminal building expansion in June 2022.

skytrax north america best airport yvr vancouver international airport

Vancouver International Airport’s “Best Airport in North America” awards between 2010 and 2021. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Of course, international airports can vary in amenities, customer service, and maintenance quality based on their wide range in passenger traffic volumes.

YVR recorded a strong rebound of 19 million passengers in 2022. For Skytrax’s 2023 ranking based on passenger volumes, specifically for airports that recorded between 10 million and 20 million passengers last year, YVR ranked fifth — behind Seoul Incheon International Airport, Tokyo Narita International Airport, Helsinki Airport, and Melbourne Airport.

Additionally, YVR is ranked as North America’s cleanest airport in 2023, just ahead of SEA.

Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel, which is attached to the US transborder terminal building wing of Vancouver International Airport, is named the world’s third-best airport hotel, and the best airport hotel in North America.

As for the performance of other major Canadian airports, Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) ranked 64th globally in 2023 — a considerable year-over-year drop from its 43rd global ranking in 2022. YYZ, of course, had a particularly challenging year with delivering an optimal passenger experience over the past year.

But for the ranking of best airports that recorded between 30 million and 40 million passengers last year, YYZ ranked sixth, just behind Singapore Changi Airport, Doha Hamad International Airport, Munich Airport, Bogota Airport, and London Gatwick Airport.

Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport ranked 45th globally in 2023, which is a considerable increase from 66th in 2022. It is also the fifth best in North America.

Calgary also soared in the rankings for 2023, reaching 92nd globally — up from 125th in 2022.

The world’s best airport in 2023 is Singapore Changi Airport, followed by Doha Hamad International Airport, Tokyo Haneda International Airport, Seoul Incheon International Airport, and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.

World’s Best Airports 2023: Skytrax

  1. Singapore Changi Airport
  2. Hamad International Airport
  3. Tokyo International Airport (Haneda)
  4. Incheon International Airport
  5. Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
  6. Istanbul Airport
  7. Munich Airport
  8. Zurich Airport
  9. Narita International Airport
  10. Madrid-Barajas Airport
  11. Vienna International Airport
  12. Helsinki-Vantaa Airport
  13. Rome Fiumicino Airport
  14. Copenhagen Airport
  15. Kansai International Airport
  16. Chubu Centrair International Airport
  17. Dubai International Airport
  18. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
  19. Melbourne Airport
  20. Vancouver International Airport
  21. Dusseldorf International Airport
  22. London Heathrow Airport
  23. Brisbane Airport
  24. Guangzhou International Airport
  25. Frankfurt Airport
  26. Bahrain International Airport
  27. Riyadh Airport
  28. Haikou Meilan Airport
  29. Amsterdam Schipol Airport
  30. Fukuoka Airport

North America’s Best Airports 2023: Skytrax

  1. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
  2. Vancouver International Airport
  3. Houston William Hobby International Airport
  4. Houston George Bush International Airport
  5. Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport
  6. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
  7. San Francisco International Airport
  8. New York LaGuardia Airport.
  9. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
  10. Los Angeles International Airport

North America’s Cleanest Airports 2023: Skytrax

  1. Vancouver International Airport
  2. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
  3. Terminal B of New York LaGuardia Airport
  4. Houston William Hobby International Airport
  5. San Francisco International Airport
  6. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
  7. Boston Logan International Airport
  8. Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport
  9. Houston George Bush International Airport
  10. Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport

North America’s Best Airport Staff 2023: Skytrax

  1. Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport
  2. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
  3. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
  4. San Francisco International Airport
  5. Vancouver International Airport
  6. Houston William Hobby International Airport
  7. Calgary International Airport
  8. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
  9. Denver International Airport
  10. San Antonio International Airport

World’s Best Airport Hotels 2023: Skytrax

  1. Crowne Plaza Changi Airport
  2. Hyatt Regency Shenzhen Airport
  3. Fairmont Vancouver Airport
  4. Movenpick Hotel Bahrain
  5. TWA Hotel New York John F. Kennedy
  6. Hilton Schipol Airport
  7. Pullman Guangzhou Airport
  8. Hilton Munich Airport
  9. Sofitel London Heathrow
  10. Pullman Brisbane Airport
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