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Gateway to the sky, or the city of the future

If the theater begins with a hanger, then the city begins with the airport. After all, it is at the airport that you get your first impressions of a country, city or region. At the same time, I want to return to some airports again and again, and when I think about others, I shiver.

The evolution of airports has gone from a hangar to a huge complex of buildings and structures. Given the needs of passengers, the airport is growing, incorporating many functions.

One after another, the so-called aerotropolis appears. These are not just elements of the transport infrastructure, but fundamentally new forms of public space, into which all functional zones are harmoniously integrated. The modern airport is the most futuristic genre of architecture that anticipates its future development.

The first on this list was Hong Kong, where even Disneyland was built near the airport. Then - Shanghai and Singapore. Dubai International Airport is also an example of how one of the main centers in the expanding global airline system has grown into a busy business center around the clock.

Imagine how convenient it is for those who fly to these cities on business. They don’t need to spend a lot of time getting somewhere in traffic jams. They can solve all issues without going outside the aerotropolis.

According to the forecast of John Casard - the same professor from the University of North Carolina who coined the word “aerotropolis” - aviation will become the engine of economic development in the 21st century, just as it became a car in the 20th. Moreover, it is entirely possible that aerotropolis is the next stage in the development of cities in general.

5th transport revolution


Airports have become the fifth wave of changes in transport infrastructure. The first were seaports, the second - rivers and canals. The third wave is railways, the fourth is expressways. Over the past three centuries, all major cities began their history at the intersection of transport routes.

Today, business parks, logistics and industrial complexes, industrial areas, shopping centers, technological, information and communication structures appear near the largest airports around the world. The areas allocated for these facilities are steadily increasing in proportion to passenger traffic.

The comfort of the airport itself is also increasing. For example, at Singapore's Changi International Airport, passengers can swim in the pool, go to the movies, or take a walk in the flowering garden. And in the South Korean “Incheon”, in any weather and at any time of the year, there is an ice rink with artificial ice.

Working to improve the quality of passenger service, airports strive to ensure that the need for a flight is not associated with stress, but with a pleasant pastime. For example, they are starting to abandon annoying voice alerts over the loudspeaker, which many passengers are worried about.

The concept of a “quiet airport” has already been implemented by the airports of Helsinki, Munich, the city airport of London, and the air hub in Mumbai. All information there is displayed on bulletin boards. We also went to Domodedovo to reduce noise: only the most important messages are voiced here.

Airport as a business


The construction of most airport complexes is carried out on the basis of public-private partnerships - this is a mechanism for attracting private investors by the state to solve socially significant problems on mutually beneficial conditions. The first successful PPP in Russia was the reconstruction of Pulkovo Airport. The agreement came into force ten years ago.

In 2019, the management company of Pulkovo Airport “Air Gate of the Northern Capital” completed the first stage of modernization of the commercial zone of the internal departure hall. It provides for the location of more than 50 stores and 25 food service outlets, including a Duty Paid format store, through which passengers are sent from the inspection area to the boarding gates. The total area of ​​the new Duty Paid was about 1 thousand square meters.

The growth of non-aviation income is one of the most important trends reflecting the development of modern airports. To increase them, air hubs are positioned as a multifunctional business, providing their territories for the development of services and entertainment. The main factors for making a profit are retail trade (mainly duty-free), car parks, food and beverage sales, advertising, real estate and services.

At some airports, for example, countries of Southeast Asia, the share of non-aviation revenues reaches 60%. In Russia, this figure does not exceed 20-25%. This is largely due to the fact that in our country for a long time receiving non-aviation income was not given due importance. And about 70% of the airport complexes we built more than 20 years ago.

New airports began to appear in the Russian Federation since 2010: as a rule, they are being built for large events like the Olympics or the World Cup. Often - on the site of the old model airport buildings that were erected throughout the Union in the 1960s.

The reconstruction of the existing infrastructure, unfortunately, does not always allow achieving the desired result. Investing in new buildings and structures that are initially focused on modern passenger service standards and allow you to allocate a sufficient number of areas for commercial activities is much more profitable. The required number of commercial areas provided in the designed terminal, which are leased for various businesses and bring profit to investors, allows the airport to receive higher incomes without increasing the base cost of transportation.

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