TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The country's main gateway, Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, suffered a steep drop from No. 18 to No. 37 on the list of the world’s best airports published by Skytrax.

No specific reason for the change was mentioned, but rating airports over the past year was made difficult by the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused severe travel restrictions and affected passengers’ views, the Liberty Times reported Tuesday (Aug. 10).

In another surprise, the eight-year reign of Singapore’s Changi Airport as the world’s best was ended by Hamad International Airport in Doha, the capital of Qatar, with Tokyo’s Haneda Airport listed as No. 2. Two other Asian airports, Seoul Incheon in South Korea and Haneda’s hometown rival Narita, rounded off the top five as No. 4 and No. 5, respectively.

Despite its sudden fall, Changi nevertheless received the award for the world’s best airport staff, while Haneda was rated as the world’s cleanest airport. Istanbul was the site of the world’s most improved airport, and Guangzhou Baiyun Airport in China was the best in the 35 to 45 million annual passengers, according to Skytrax.