Shanghai, Hainan airports earn 5 stars from intl rating agency

Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport and Haikou Meilan International Airport both achieved a five-star standard in China, while Beijing Daxing International Airport, as well as another nine airports, received four stars, according to the 2020 Airport Rating by Skytrax, the London-based research agency in the air transport industry.

The evaluations were conducted from June 2019 to January 2020, covering 103 Chinese airports across a wide range, from small domestic airports to major international hubs.

Apart from the top two five-star airports in Shanghai and Haikou, Terminal 2 at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport is also in their league, being ranked as a five-star terminal.

Skytrax predicted that another two to three airports in China will likely reach the five-star standard by 2021.

Currently, there are 10 four-star airports in China, with the country's latest flagship airport, Beijing Daxing International Airport, landing in this category.

Skytrax noted that while the design of Daxing Airport is very impressive, the ease of access from downtown Beijing still needs improvement. In addition, "the range of shopping and F&B facilities are also quite limited by major hub standards," said Skytrax.

As more airline operations move to Daxing Airport, the facilities and staff services there should be further enhanced.

Among the 103 airports on the Skytrax's ratings, 60 airports currently have a three-star ranking, with six expected to be upgraded to four stars within the coming 12 months, subject to certain changes and improvements being made.