Today we cannot imagine our life without aviation. The first passenger flights took place in 1908, and the first scheduled airline was established in 1914. Over the past hundred years, a network of airlines has encircled the planet and by the beginning of the 21st century there are already about 44, 000 airports on the globe. In large cities, these are huge air hub complexes. The main characteristics of any of them are: passenger traffic, cargo turnover, the area of runways. Independent organizations annually make a rating of the largest stations and determine which is the largest airport in the world. The main indicators for this are considered to be the number of passengers and cargo, because even large areas can be used inefficiently.
Haneda, Tokyo
This complex is one of the top largest airports in the world. In 2017, he ranks fifth in the ranking. It serves 60 million passengers a year. In Tokyo, the main international flights pass through another airport, and Haneda receives a large number of domestic flights. There are flights abroad to Seoul, Shanghai, Honolulu, Paris, Frankfurt and Hong Kong. There is a hotel for passengers at the airport and in the immediate vicinity are several more hotels.
Chicago O'Hare International Airport
This complex is located 29 km northwest of Chicago. Today it is the fourth in the ranking of airports. Not so long ago he occupied the first place, but numerous flight delays deprived him of this title. The airport has seven runway strips, but you cannot use them at the same time, as some of them intersect. Nine halls work here, there are four sectors. Passenger service is excellent. It is also popular with filmmakers. It filmed episodes for the movie "Home Alone." Chicago's air harbor receives 77 million passengers a year.
Dubai International Airport
This company in Dubai has been growing rapidly in recent years. It is a ten-minute drive from the center and is home to the large Emirates airline, which has the largest number of Boeings. There are four passenger and one cargo terminals at the airport. There is a special department for believers. In operation, two runways. In 2017, the air hub served 83 million passengers and moved to third place in the rating.
Dubai, in addition, is the largest airport in the world by area. It occupies 3.5 thousand ha. The area of the terminals is more than 1 million square meters. m. You have to travel between them by metro. Five-star rooms, entertainment centers, SPA, gyms are located in the terminals.
Beijing Capital International Airport
The Shoudou air hub opened in 1958 and was reconstructed several times. In Asia, it is the largest. Over the past year, 90 million customers have used its services. The airport has three terminals, which host more than 80 food outlets. The administration carefully monitors that prices are not higher than city prices. The runway can accept air liners of any size. Between the terminals buses run constantly. An airport is connected to the city by expressway. The path to the city takes 40 minutes. Third place in the ranking of this site is well deserved.
Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta
This is the largest airport in the world in terms of passenger traffic in 2017. 104 million people passed through it. This is about a third of the population of the United States. The airport is approximately 10 km from Atlanta, the capital of Georgia. He also holds the first place in the number of take-offs and landings. Five runways are constantly busy. Flights are carried out in all directions both within the country and abroad. The airport is named after two people: William Hartfield (its founder) and Mayor Maynar Jackson. Shops, cafes, hotels, a children’s zone, a recreation area are constantly working at the two terminals. There is an underpass between the terminals, along which buses run every two minutes. Crossings are equipped with moving sidewalks. Today it is the largest airport in the world.
Airports of Russia
Not a single Russian airport is included in the top of the largest airports in the world. The two largest Moscow air complexes Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo occupy 58 and 69 places respectively. Sheremetyevo Airport was opened in 1959 and was reconstructed several times. There are six terminals in the territory. Their total area is 500 thousand square meters. m. The airport is a first class complex. Most flights depart from Sheremetev. He is able to accept aircraft of any class. In 2017, 34 million passengers passed through it. A new 3200 m runway is under construction for the World Cup.
Domodedovo Airport is the second largest passenger traffic in Russia. It was opened in 1964. In 1999, its reconstruction began. As part of these transformations, the entire complex, which opened in 2000, was completely changed. From 2004 to 2008, passenger terminals were modernized, within the framework of which their area was increased to 500 thousand square meters. m. In 2011, he was recognized as the best airport in Eastern Europe. A new zone of the passenger terminal with an atrium and three panoramic elevators will be opened for the World Cup. A multi-level parking and a new runway are under construction. In 2017, 28.5 million passengers used Domodedov’s services.
Now there is an active construction and reconstruction of airports in those cities of Russia that will host the 2018 World Cup. It is expected that they will receive more than a million fans and guests from all over the world.
Interesting airports
There are many air complexes in the world that amaze with their unusualness, although they are not included in the 10 largest airports in the world. In Japanese Osaka, the airport terminal was located in the city and ceased to cope with the necessary load. Near the city it was impossible to find a free place for new construction, so the territory was artificially formed. Directly in the sea, soil was specially poured and an island created. A gigantic engineering task was realized. Kansai Airport has successfully earned. When designing, it was assumed that the island would be immersed in the sea, but the speed of immersion was much higher. In 1994, the island plunged by 50 cm. The authorities are actively struggling with this and now this speed has significantly decreased. Passengers do not notice these problems. But a spectacular landing in the sea is impossible to forget.
Gibraltar International Airport is located on a narrow sandy isthmus. On both sides, the runway abuts against the sea, the Strait of Gibraltar. Its length is only 1680 m. This limits the types of aircraft that can fly there. In addition, the runway crosses the highway. During take-off or landing of aircraft, the track is blocked by a barrier. Drivers can enjoy the view of the air giants taking off or landing.
On the island of Madeira in Portugal, the airport is built on a special flyover. Pilots experience the thrill of taking off or landing on a narrow strip, on the one side of which is the sea, and on the other - mountains.
