It has nothing to do with the experience of being lost when you arrive at a new airport, nor does it have anything to do with their architecture, scale, or better or worse, designed for their users, or more or less aesthetically pleasing.
Some people enjoy airports because they are filled with a constant stream of emotions. They are places where feelings of happiness, grief, or indifference coexist in the same space exaggeratedly and continuously.
One of the most powerful addictions we, as humans have, is the need to observe other people, and airports are ideal places to indulge in this activity. Being able to witness the ebb and flow of emotions from individuals arriving and waiting for them or from those departing and saying goodbye, we find it a human gesture that is difficult to observe in other places.
Airports have a certain magic about them. Those who have seen the film The Terminal will understand what we are talking about. It is a place that appears to be cut off from the rest of the world, particularly in terms of the part that is outside the borders. There is movement at all hours of the day and night. There are also those unique feelings that we get once with exit the airport, and the luxury airport transfers are waiting to pick us up and take us to our destination to start our fantastic journey in the place we have chosen.
Therefore, we will virtually travel to some of the most magnificent airports in the world, stressing their size and bustling activity, i.e., the number of planes and people that pass through them, to demonstrate their importance.
The King Fahd International Airport in Saudi Arabia
The King Fahd International Airport, located in Dammam in Saudi Arabia, covers an area of 780 kilometers2. It encompasses an area greater than the entire country of Bahrain, which borders it.
It is the third busiest airport in Saudi Arabia, after Jeddah-King Abdulaziz International Airport and Riyadh-King Khalid International Airport, and the country’s busiest in the country’s capital.
Dammam International Airport
The design process began in 1976. The master plan for the site was developed by the architectural company Yamasaki & Associates in collaboration with Boeing Aerosystems International, and it was finished by the year 1977. Construction began in 1983, and the airport started accepting commercial passengers on November 28, 1999, marking the completion of the project.
The terminal is divided into six floors, with three of them dedicated to passenger processing. Arrivals are handled on the third level, departures are taken on the sixth level, and boarding is dealt with on the fourth level. Intermediate service level and mezzanine level are two partial levels that can be found on a single building (which is the top level).
The Saudi Royal Family, government officials, and official guests are the only ones who are permitted to enter the Royal Terminal. The terminal was constructed on a site measuring 16,400 m2 and is connected to the aircraft through four bridges that span the runway. It has been tastefully furnished and adorned, and the exteriors and gardens have also been lavishly landscaped.
Incheon International Airport in South Korea
South Korea’s Incheon International Airport is one of the busiest in the world. Yet, it has an excellent security and customs system that makes the process of clearing customs and clearing passengers constantly heavy, fast, and more comfortable. However, as we will explain further below, it is also perhaps one of the most entertaining airports in the world, as well as the best location to relax for free.
At Seoul International Airport, you can take advantage of a completely free digital gym, virtual reality simulators of Formula 1 and paragliding, lounges, and even nap rooms, with beds for taking a nap, free showers with towels that are available 24 hours a day, two movie theatres, free WiFi, seven gardens to relax in, a large children’s play area, computers throughout the airport, a casino, a multitude of duty-free shops, massage service, and, perhaps most importantly, a virtual reality With little doubt, the best airport for killing time in Heathrow.
Donegal Airport in Ireland
Now we’re heading to the north coast of Ireland to get away from the luxuries of life. We’re going to be impressed by Donegal Airport, which has the world’s most picturesque landing, with incredible views of the bay and its emerald waters, surrounded by green hills, small rocky islands, and beautiful beaches lapped by the Atlantic.
Although the airport initially opened with a patch of grass as a runway, it has since expanded to 1,500 meters. It now has a terminal with shops, cafes, tourist information centers, and even car rental services and a car rental service.
