Name a top-rated airport in the world and Singapore’s Changi comes to mind. Or
Dubai Intl. in Dubai. Or Schipol in Amsterdam. But Ben-Gurion in Israel?
After all, Changi has consistently garnered top billing in Travel + Leisure’s annual ranking, Dubai is relatively spanking new and Schipol has long been a top hub in Europe.
Passenger lounge at Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport
Yet, Ben-Gurion, hardly the dominant airport in its neighborhood, managed to elbow out both Schipol and Dubai to take third spot in Travel + Leisure’s list for 2017. In fact, with a score of 79.40, Ben-Gurion came in less than one point below Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.
And although Travel + Leisure doesn’t give reasons for its rankings, one reason for its choice of Ben-Gurion may be that airport’s much-vaunted level of security. Unlike Istanbul or Brussels, Ben-Gurion hasn’t witnessed a terrorist attack in decades.
Regardless, Ben-Gurion’s high score is certainly something that both the airport and Israel can take pride in.