Hong Kong International Airport ranked second while Singapore's Changi Airport was third in the annual survey by British-based aviation research specialist Skytrax.
The survey, published in London late Tuesday, covered 190 airports and questioned 8.6 million passengers about 39 aspects of their airport experience from check-in to departure.
A Skytrax spokesman said the margin between the three top airports was the smallest ever in the survey's 11-year history and at one point it looked as though there was going to be a dead-heat between the three.
Zurich's airport emerged fourth in the airport top 10, followed by Munich and Japan's Kansai. Kuala Lumpur was awarded seventh place, followed by Amsterdam; Centrair in Nagoya, Japan; and New Zealand's Auckland airport in 10th place.
In the individual categories, Hong Kong was voted top in airport dining, Kuala Lumpur won the best immigration service title and Singapore won best leisure amenities.
Incheon outside Seoul was named the best in security processing, terminal cleanliness and easiest transit categories.