CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA - HONG Kong International Airport was voted the world's best for a seventh year, after a survey of 8.2 million passengers.

Singapore's Changi Airport was at No. 2, with Asian airports dominating the top positions on the list.

The annual survey was conducted by Skytrax, a UK-based consultancy, and judges airports on more than 40 categories.

It ranked them after collecting 8.2 million questionnaires completed by passengers over a 10-month period, from last year to this year.

The passengers judged 190 airports on factors like shopping, dining, staff courtesy, baggage delivery and waiting times at security.

Hong Kong, with its reputation for efficiency and comfort, has held the top position seven times. Only once, in 2006, was it displaced by Singapore's Changi Airport.

Seoul's Incheon Airport was third. The airports in Kuala Lumpur and Kansai, Japan, were in the top 10.

Mr Edward Plaisted, chief executive officer of Skytrax, said: "To retain the title of the world's best airport, among such strong competition, is clear testament to an airport that it is satisfying its customers at the highest level."

Opened in 1998, the airport sits on a small reclaimed island next to Hong Kong's sparsely-populated Lantau Island. It replaces the old Kai Tak Airport.

"In recent years, the whole air-travel experience has become more focused on the time customers spend in the airport environment, and Hong Kong has established itself as a clear passenger favourite in this respect," said Mr Plaisted in a statement.

Munich in Germany was voted the top European airport, ranked fifth in the world. Copenhagen in Denmark, Zurich in Switzerland, and Helsinki in Finland also made the top 10. Cape Town in South Africa rounded off the list at No. 10.

No North-American airports made it to the top 10. San Francisco did best, ranked 11th.

Mr Plaisted said that waiting times at security checkpoints was a major cause of passenger discontent. --REUTERS