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San Francisco International Airportat night, with departure gates radiating out from theterminal building,aerobridges,apronand parkedplanes

Aninternational airportis anairportwithcustomsandborder controlfacilities enabling passengers to travel betweencountriesaround the world. International airports are usually larger thandomestic airports,and feature longerrunwaysand have facilities to accommodate heavier aircraft such as theBoeing 747and theAirbus A380commonly used for international and intercontinental travel. International airports often hostdomestic flights,which helps feed both passengers and cargo into international ones (and vice versa).

Buildings, operations, and management have become increasingly sophisticated since the mid-20th century, when international airports began to provide infrastructure for international civilian flights. Detailed technical standards have been developed to ensure safety and commoncoding systemsimplemented to provide global consistency. The physical structures that serve millions of individual passengers and flights are among the most complex and interconnected in the world. By the second decade of the 21st century, over 1,200 international[citation needed]airports existed with around 3.8 billion[1]international passengers as of January 2023 along with 50 million[citation needed]metric tonnes of cargo passing through them annually.

History

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Qantas Empire AirwaysInternationalShort Empireflying boat services arriving atRose Bay,Sydney (c. 1939)

In August 1919,Hounslow Heath Aerodrome,inLondon,England,was the first airport to operate scheduled international commercial services. It was closed and supplanted byCroydon Airportin March 1920.[2][3]In the United States,Douglas Municipal AirportinArizonabecame the first international airport of the Americas in 1928.[4]

The precursors to international airports were airfields oraerodromes.In the early days ofinternational flights,infrastructure was limited, "although if engine problems arose there were plenty of places where aircraft could land".[5]Since four-engined land planes were unavailable for over-water operations to international destinations, flying boats became part of the solution. At the far end of the longest international route (which became theKangaroo Route), on-water landing areas were found in places such asSurabayaand in the open sea offKupang.InSydney,Rose Bay, New South Wales,was chosen as the flying-boat landing area.[5]

International airports sometimes serve military as well as commercial purposes and their viability is also affected by technological developments.Canton Island Airport,for example, in thePhoenix Islands(Kiribati), after serving as a military airport duringWorld War II,was used as a refuelling stop by commercial aircraft such asQantaswhich stationed ground crew there in the late 1950s.[6]The advent in the early 1960s of jet aircraft such as theBoeing 707with the range to fly non-stop betweenAustraliaorNew ZealandandHawaii,meant that a mid-Pacific stop was no longer needed and the airport was closed to regular commercial use. Other international airports, such asKai Tak AirportinHong Kong,have been decommissioned and replaced when they reached capacity or technological advances rendered them inadequate.[7][8]

Design and construction

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FinnairAirbus A319at theHelsinki AirportinVantaa,Finland.Terminal expansion construction site in the background.

The construction and operation of an international airport depends on a complicated set of decisions that are affected by technology, politics, economics and geography as well as both local and international law.[9][10][11][12]Designing an airport even for domestic traffic or as "non-hub" has, from the beginning, required extensive co-ordination between users and interested parties – architects, engineers, managers and staff all need to be involved.[13][14]Airports may also be regarded as emblematic of national pride and so the design may be architecturally ambitious. An example was the plannedNew Mexico City international airport,intended to replace an airport that has reached capacity.[15]

Airports can be towered ornon-towered,depending on air traffic density and available funds. Because of high capacity and busyairspace,many international airports have air traffic control located on site.

Some international airports require construction of additionalinfrastructureoutside of the airport, such as at theHong Kong International Airport,which included the construction of a high-speed railway and automobileexpresswayto connect the airport to the urban areas of Hong Kong. Construction of the expressway included the construction of two bridges (the Tsing Ma suspension bridge and Kap Shui Mun cable bridge) and the Ma Wanviaducton Ma Wan island to connect the bridges. Each bridge carries rail and automobile traffic.[16]

Operations and management

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Aflight information display systemscreen atCharles de Gaulle Airport's Terminal 2 showing flight arrivals

International airports have commercial relationships with and provide services to airlines and passengers from around the world. Many also serve ashubs,or places where non-direct flights may land and passengers may switch planes, while others serve primarily directpoint-to-pointflights. This affects airport design factors, including the number and placement of terminals as well as the flow of passengers and baggage between different areas of the airport. An airport specializing in point-to-point transit can have international and domestic terminals, each in their separate building equipped with separatebaggage handling facilities.In a hub airport, however, spaces and services are shared.[17]

Airport management have to take into account a wide range of factors, among which are the performance of airlines, the technical requirements of aircraft, airport-airline relationships, services for travelling customers, security and environmental impacts.[18]

Standards

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Technical standards for safety and operating procedures at international airports are set by international agreements. TheInternational Air Transport Association(IATA), formed in 1945, is the association of the airline companies. TheInternational Civil Aviation Organization(ICAO) is a body of theUnited Nationssucceeding earlier international committees going back to 1903. These two organizations served to create regulations over airports which the airports themselves had no authority to debate. This eventually sparked an entire subject of air travel politics. In January 1948, 19 representatives from various US commercial airports met for the first time in New York City to seek resolution to common problems they each faced, which initiated the formation of theAirport Operators Council,which later becameAirports Council International– North America (ACI-NA). This group included representatives fromBaltimore,Boston,Chicago,Cleveland,Dallas,Denver,Detroit,Jacksonville,Kansas City,Los Angeles,Memphis,Miami,Minneapolis-Saint Paul,New York,Philadelphia,Pittsburgh,St. Louis,San FranciscoandWashington.[19]

Flight logistics

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International airports have extensive operations in managing flightlogistics,such asair traffic control.The latter service is provided by ground-basedcontrollerswho coordinate and direct aircraft on the ground and through controlled airspace. Air traffic control also provides advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airspace.[20]

Customs and immigration

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IrishPassport inspectionatDublin Airport(2007)
US and Canadian custom agents

Airports with international flights have customs andimmigrationfacilities, which allow right of entry. These change over time but are generally designated by law.[21]However, as some countries have agreements that allow connecting flights without customs and immigrations, such facilities do not define an international airport.

Security and safety

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AtShannon Airport,travelers to the United States can "pre-clear"U.S. immigration (2008)

The current trend of enhancingsecurityat the cost of passenger and baggage handling efficiency at international airports is expected to continue in the future.[22][23]This places financial burden on airports, risks the flow of servicing processes, and has implications for the privacy of passengers.[17]International flights often require a higher level of physical security than dodomestic airports,although in recent years, many countries have adopted the same level of security for both.

Most international airports feature a "sterile lounge", an area after security checkpoints within which passengers are free to move without further security checks. This area can have services such as duty-free shops that sell goods that have been selected and screened with safety in mind, so that purchasing and bringing them on board flights poses no security risks. In addition to employees, only processed passengers with a valid ticket are allowed inside the sterile lounge. Admittance into the sterile area is done in centralized security checkpoints in contrast to e.g. individual checkpoints at eachgate.This allows for more efficient processing of passengers with fewer staff, as well as makes it possible to detect both delays and security threats well ahead ofboarding.[24]

To ensure the viability of airport operations, new and innovative security systems are being developed. For instance, the old security checkpoints can be replaced by a "total security area" encompassing an entire airport, coupled with automatic surveillance of passengers from the moment they enter the airport until they embark on a plane.[17]

Passengers connecting to domestic flights from an international flight generally must take their checked luggage through customs and re-check their luggage at the domestic airline counter, requiring extra time in the process. In some cases inEurope,luggage can be transferred to the final destination even if it is a domestic connection.

In some cases, travelers and the aircraft can clear customs and immigration at the departure airport. An example of this would be that some airports inCanadaandIreland,along with several other countries, haveUnited States border preclearancefacilities. This allows flights from those airports to fly into US airports that do not have customs and immigration facilities. Luggage from such flights can also be transferred to a final destination in the U.S. through theairport of entry.

A crucial safety aspect of international airports is medical facilities and practices. In particular, controllingtransmissible disease,such asSARS,is deemed important at international airports.[25]While these standards are regulated byICAOStandards And Recommended Practices(SARPs) andWHO'sInternational Health Regulations(IHR), local authorities have considerable say in how they are implemented.[26]

Transportation

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Among the most important airport services are further transportation connections, including rail networks, taxi and shuttle services at curbside pick-up areas, and public buses.[27]Large areas for automobileparking,often in co-locatedmulti-storey car parks,are also typical to find at airports. Some airports provide shuttle services to parking garages for passengers and airport employees.[27]Due to the very large scale of international airports, some have constructed shuttle services to transport passengers between terminals.[28]Such systems operate for example, inSingapore Changi AirportandZurich Airport.

At some U.S. international airports, such asO'Hare International Airportin Chicago, some seating and waiting areas are located away from the terminal building, with passengers being shuttled to terminals.[27]These areas may be referred to as ground transportation centers or intermodal centers.[27]Amenities at ground transportation centers typically include restrooms and seating, and may also provide ticket counters, food and beverage sales and retail goods such as magazines.[27]Some ground transportation centers have heating and air conditioning and covered boarding areas[27](to protect passengers from the elements).

Services and amenities

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Standard amenities include public restrooms, passenger waiting areas and retail stores for dining and shopping,[28]includingduty-free shops.Dining establishments may be consolidated infood courts.Some international airports may offer retail sales ofluxury goodsat duty-free stores.Wi-Fiservice and access, offices forbureau de change(currencyexchange) andtourismadvice are common, although the availability of service varies across airports. Some international airports provide secure areas for stranded passengers to rest and sleep. The more usual service is hotels that are available on the premises.

  • Duty-free shops at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel (2012)
    Duty-free shops atBen Gurion International AirportinTel Aviv,Israel (2012)
  • For passengers stranded overnight, secure area at O'Hare International Airport with dimmed lights, cots, pillows, blankets, and toiletries (2008)[29]
    For passengers stranded overnight, secure area at O'Hare International Airport with dimmed lights, cots, pillows, blankets, and toiletries (2008)[29]
  • The food court in the restricted area of Terminal 1 at Hong Kong International Airport (2013)
    The food court in the restricted area of Terminal 1 at Hong Kong International Airport (2013)

Customer satisfaction awards

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The World Airport Awards are voted by consumers in an independent global customer satisfaction survey.Singapore Changi Airportwas the first-place winner in 2020.[30]Other winners includeIncheon International Airport(South Korea) andAmsterdam Airport Schiphol(The Netherlands).[31]

Airport names

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The front view of theKing Shaka International Airport's main terminal building (2017)
An aerial view ofHong Kong International Airport(2010)
preparing the plane to take off fromDublin Airport
Loading passenger luggage atLisbon Humberto Delgado International AirportPortugal (2012)
Collecting offloaded passenger luggage from abaggage carouselatSuvarnabhumi International AirportBangkok, Thailand (2007)
Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport

Toponymyis one of the most common sources for the naming of airports. A number of areas close to them have lent their names, including villages, estates, city districts, historical areas and regions, islands and even a waterfall. Sometimes the toponym is combined with or renamed to incorporate another name from another source such as from one of the following:

A study found that 44 percent of the world's international airports are named by toponyms: named for politicians (thirty percent), aviators (seven percent), mythology and religion (three percent), public figures (two percent), people of science (two percent) and other (one percent).[32]

Airports also use anIATA-3 letter code to abbreviate the names of all the international airports. Some airports are nicknamed after these codes, such asJFK,BWI,DFW,LAX,YYZ,FCO,andCDG.

An "international airport" can be named as such by simply containing customs and border control facilities to enable international flights, regardless of whether international flights currently operate to or from the airport. For example, aU.S. Customs and Border Protectionfacility has been in place atBozeman Yellowstone International Airportsince July 1, 2012, but no scheduled international flights have been inaugurated to or from Bozeman since.

Notable airports

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By historical event

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  • 1919(August)Hounslow Heath Aerodromebegins operating scheduled international commercial services from England to France.
  • 1933Douglas International Airport inArizonais honored byEleanor Rooseveltas "the first international airport of the Americas", having reached this capacity in 1928.[4]

By passenger numbers

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  • As of 2018,Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airporthad the greatest number of travelers of all international airports with 107 million passengers, more than Beijing Capital International with 100 million passengers.[33]
  • Los Angeles International Airportis considered to have the greatest number of passengers who start or end their travel there as opposed to continuing on to a connecting flight. Overall, LAX is considered to be the 7th busiest airport in the world.[34]
  • Dubai International Airportis the busiest airport in the world by international passenger traffic, with 83,105,798 international passengers. Dubai is the third busiest airport worldwide.

Other

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See also

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References

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  1. ^"The world's airports – the state of the industry in Jan-2023 in 11 numbers".CAPA - Centre for Aviation.Retrieved11 January2024.
  2. ^Bluffield, Robert (2009).Imperial Airways: the birth of the British airline industry 1914–1940.Hersham [England]: Ian Allan.ISBN978-1-906537-07-4.
  3. ^Learmonth, Bob; Cluett, Douglas; Nash, Joanna (1977),A history of Croydon Airport,Sutton Libraries and Arts Services
  4. ^abBlaskey, Larry (6 June 2008)."Eleanor Roosevelt's trip to Douglas remembered".Douglas Dispatch.Archived fromthe originalon 14 October 2019.Retrieved6 October2014.
  5. ^abStackhouse, John (1995).--from the dawn of aviation: The Qantas Story, 1920-1995.Double Bay, NSW: Focus Pub. pp. 57, 66–71.ISBN1-875359-23-0.
  6. ^Walker, Howell. "Air Age Brings Life to Canton Island". TheNational Geographic Magazine:January 1955, pp. 117-132.
  7. ^Hafer, JR."Kai Tak Airport Hong Kong".20th Century Aviation Magazine.Archived fromthe originalon 23 July 2014.Retrieved20 October2014.
  8. ^Farewell speech for Kai Tak (6 July 1998)
  9. ^Feldman, Elliot J. and Jerome Milch (1982).Technology versus democracy: the comparative politics of international airports.Boston, Massachusetts: Auburn House Pub. Co.ISBN0-86569-063-4.
  10. ^Regulatory implications of the allocation of flight departure and arrival slots at international airports.Montreal, Canada: International Civil Aviation Organization. 2001.
  11. ^Salter, Mark B. (2008).Politics at the airport([Online-Ausg.] ed.). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.ISBN978-0-8166-5014-9.
  12. ^Williams, Alan, 1934-,Developing strategies for the modern international airport: East Asia and beyond / by Alan Williams,Ashgate Pub. Co{{citation}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. ^"Planning and design of airport terminal building facilities at nonhub locations".United States Federal Aviation Administration. 1980.Retrieved30 September2014.
  14. ^"Quality control of construction for airport grant projects".U.S. Dept. of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration. 2007.Retrieved1 October2014.
  15. ^Luhnow, David (2 September 2014)."Mexico Plans New $9.2 Billion Airport".The Wall Street Journal.Retrieved6 December2014.
  16. ^Telford, Thomas (1 November 1998). "transport links".Hong Kong International Airport(Technical report). Vol. Supplement of Volume 126 (Special Issue 2 ed.). Journals Leon Heward-Mills for Institution of Civil Engineers.
  17. ^abcJanić, Milan (February 2010).Airport Analysis, Planning and Design: Demand, Capacity, and Congestion.New York:Nova Science Publishers.pp. 51–52, 248.ISBN978-1-61761-560-3.Retrieved29 September2014.
  18. ^Graham, Anne (2003).Managing airports – an international perspective(2 ed.). Oxford, UK and Burlington, US: Butterworth-Heinemann.ISBN0-7506-5917-3.
  19. ^"History of Airports Council International-North America".Airports Council International– North America. Archived fromthe originalon 7 December 2017.Retrieved2 October2014.
  20. ^Reddy, Arun (3 March 2010)."The Science and Technology of Air Traffic Control".Ars Technica.Conde Nast.Retrieved3 October2014.
  21. ^Bennett, David L. (1996)."Designated US International airports".U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration.Retrieved1 October2014.
  22. ^St. John, Peter(1991).Air piracy, airport security, and international terrorism: winning the war against hijackers.New York: Quorum Books.ISBN0-89930-413-3.
  23. ^Moore, Kenneth C. (1991).Airport, aircraft, and airline security(2nd ed.). Boston: Butterworth-Heinemann.ISBN0-7506-9019-4.
  24. ^Rodney Wallis (2003).How Safe are Our Skies?: Assessing the Airlines' Response to Terrorism.Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 90–91.ISBN978-0-275-97847-1.
  25. ^IHR implementation at ports, airports and groundcrossings – video.multimedia.who.int(Video).WHO.Archived fromthe original(WEBM)on 6 October 2014.Retrieved1 October2014.
  26. ^"FAQ: What are the ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices... at international airports?".ICAO.Retrieved1 October2014.
  27. ^abcdefStrategies for Improving Public Transportation Access to Large Airports.Transportation Research Board. 2002. pp. 81–84.ISBN0-309-06764-2.
  28. ^abJohnson, Josie J.International Air Flights.Clinton Gilkie.
  29. ^"Traveler Services".Chicago Department of Aviation. Archived fromthe originalon 3 June 2014.Retrieved29 September2014.
  30. ^Karla Cripps."The world's best airports for 2020, according to Skytrax".CNN.Retrieved1 January2021.
  31. ^"World Airport Awards".Archived fromthe originalon 21 September 2014.Retrieved29 September2014.
  32. ^Peskov, Denis."Naming of International Airports".Retrieved2 October2014.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help)
  33. ^"Preliminary World Airport Rankings".Airports Council International. 13 March 2019.Retrieved23 May2019.
  34. ^"(LAX) Los Angeles International Airport Overview".Flight Stats.FlightStats, Inc. Archived fromthe originalon 7 December 2017.Retrieved2 October2014.
  35. ^Sweeney, Chris (17 February 2010)."The World's 18 Strangest Airports": Svalbard, Norway ".Popular Mechanics.
  36. ^Sweeney, Chris (17 February 2010)."The World's 18 Strangest Airports: Dammam, Saudi Arabia".Popular Mechanics.
  37. ^Pallini, Thomas."Inside the new world's longest flight: What it's like to fly on Singapore Airlines' new route between Singapore and New York".Business Insider.Archivedfrom the original on 25 November 2021.Retrieved1 January2021.
  38. ^"Great Circle Map Distance SIN-JFK".gcmap.Archivedfrom the original on 8 October 2021.Retrieved1 January2021.
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Wikivoyage has a travel guide forAt the airport.
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