Featured image adapted from İGA İstanbul Airport on Facebook and Changi Airport on Facebook.
When a British travel magazine ranked Istanbul Airport as the world’s best airport ahead of Changi Airport, some Singaporeans were unconvinced.
Several Reddit users questioned how Istanbul Airport had come out on top, citing their own experiences with its prices, service, and facilities.
Source: İGA İstanbul Airport on Facebook
Others, however, had more positive things to say about its efficiency.
On 6 Oct, Condé Nast Traveller released the airport rankings for its 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards.
According to the magazine, the results were based entirely on votes from its UK readership.
Thousands of respondents submitted ratings between 1 April and 30 June 2026, with eligible candidates scored according to criteria relevant to their category.
Source: İGA İstanbul Airport on Facebook
Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) came in third with a score of 93.18.
Changi Airport was just ahead with 93.92, placing it second in the global ranking.
Source: Changi Airport on Facebook
Taking the top spot was Istanbul Airport, which received a score of 94.29.
The results later made their way to the Singapore subreddit, where a post about the ranking had attracted almost 170 comments at press time.
A number of commenters were sceptical about Istanbul Airport taking first place.
One Redditor claimed that staff there had been “unfriendly” during their visit, while food was more expensive than at other European airports.
They also felt its decor was less impressive than that of airports in Qatar and the UAE.
Source: Reddit
Another commenter said they could understand airports such as Tokyo Haneda or Seoul Incheon ranking ahead of Changi, but found Istanbul’s position harder to agree with.
Based on their experience, they described the immigration process as “tedious”, the service as “mediocre”, and boarding as “messy”.
Source: Reddit
Not everyone had a negative experience, however. One Redditor described Istanbul Airport as the “most efficient” they had visited, claiming that they had barely needed to queue during their time there.
Source: Reddit
Another similarly called Istanbul a good airport, although they still felt ranking it above Changi was “questionable”.
Source: İGA İstanbul Airport on Facebook
Among their complaints were poorly maintained toilets and the long distances passengers had to walk within the airport.
Source: Reddit
The discussion soon shifted from the individual airports to the ranking itself.
One Redditor pointed to Rome Fiumicino Airport placing 10th on Condé Nast Traveller’s list, saying their own poor experiences there made them question the results.
Source: Italy Perfect
By comparison, they claimed that on one occasion at Changi Airport, it took them just 14 minutes to get from the aircraft door to a taxi.
Source: Reddit
Several commenters also argued that Skytrax was more trustworthy when it came to airport rankings.
In its 2026 World Airport Awards, Skytrax named Changi Airport the World’s Best Airport, followed by Seoul Incheon International Airport in second place and Tokyo Haneda Airport in third.
Source: Skytrax
Istanbul Airport, meanwhile, placed eighth on the list, while Rome Fiumicino Airport came in seventh.
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Featured image adapted from İGA İstanbul Airport on Facebook and Changi Airport on Facebook.