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, the entire planet has been surrounded by a network of airlines, 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, runway area. Every year, independent organizations rank 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 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 largenumber of domestic flights. There are flights abroad to Seoul, Shanghai, Honolulu, Paris, Frankfurt and Hong Kong. The airport has a hotel for passengers and there are several other hotels in the immediate vicinity.
Chicago O'Hare International Airport
This complex is located 29 kilometers northwest of Chicago. Today it is the fourth in the ranking of airports. Not so long ago, he took first place, but numerous flight delays deprived him of this title. The airport has seven take-off lanes, but they cannot be used 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. Episodes for the movie "Home Alone" were filmed here. The air harbor in Chicago receives 77 million passengers a year.
Dubai International Airport
This business in Dubai has grown rapidly in recent years. It is a ten minute drive from the center and is home to the major airline Emirates, which has the largest number of Boeings in its use. The air hub has four passenger and one cargo terminals. There is a special section for believers. There are two runways in operation. In 2017, the air hub served 83 million passengers and moved to third place in the ranking.
Dubai is also the largest airport in the world in terms of area. It occupies 3.5 thousand hectares. The area of terminals is more than 1 million square meters.m. You have to travel between them by metro. The terminals have five-star rooms, entertainment centers, spas, gyms.
Beijing Capital International Airport
The Beijing Capital Air Hub opened in 1958 and has been reconstructed several times. It is the largest in Asia. Over the past year, 90 million customers have used its services. The airport has three terminals with more than 80 food outlets. The administration carefully monitors that prices are not higher than city prices. The runway can accommodate aircraft of any size. Buses run constantly between the terminals. The airport is connected to the city by a high-speed road. The journey to the city takes 40 minutes. The third place in the rating of this node 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. That's about a third of the population of the United States. The airport is located about 10 km from Atlanta, the capital of Georgia. He also holds the first place in the number of takeoffs 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 Heartfield (its founder) and Mayor Maynar Jackson. Shops, cafes, hotels, a children's area, and a recreation area are constantly at the service of visitors in two terminals. There is an underground passage between the terminals, which runs every two minutesbuses. Crossings are equipped with moving sidewalks. Today it is the largest airport in the world.
Russian airports
Not a single Russian air terminal is included in the top of the largest airports in the world. The two largest Moscow air complexes Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo are ranked 58th and 69th respectively. Sheremetyevo Airport was opened in 1959 and was overhauled several times. There are six terminals on the territory. Their total area is 500 thousand square meters. The airport is a first class complex. Sheremetyevo departs most of the flights abroad. He is able to receive aircraft of any class. In 2017, 34 million passengers passed through it. A new 3,200m long runway is under construction for the World Cup.
Domodedovo Airport is the second in terms of 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, the passenger terminals were modernized, as part of which their area was increased to 500 thousand square meters. m. In 2011, it was recognized as the best airport in Eastern Europe. A new area of the passenger terminal with an atrium and three panoramic elevators will be opened for the World Cup. A multi-storey car park and a new runway are under construction. In 2017, 28.5 million passengers used Domodedovo's services.
Now there are active construction and reconstruction of airportsin those Russian cities that will host the 2018 FIFA 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 surprise with their unusualness, although they are not included in the 10 largest airports in the world. In Osaka, Japan, the terminal was located in the city and could no longer cope with the necessary load. It was impossible to find a free place for new construction near the city, so the territory was formed artificially. Soil was specially poured right into the sea and an island was created. A gigantic engineering task has been realized. Kansai Airport has been successfully launched. When designing, it was assumed that the island would sink into the sea, but the sinking speed turned out to be much higher. In 1994, the island sank by 50 cm. The authorities are actively fighting 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.
Gibr altar International Airport is located on a narrow sandy isthmus. On both sides, the runway rests on the sea, the Strait of Gibr altar. Its length is only 1680 m. This limits the types of aircraft that can fly there. In addition, the runway crosses the highway. During takeoff or landing of aircraft, the route is blocked by a barrier. Drivers can enjoy the view of giants taking off or landing.
On the island of Madeira in Portugal, the airport was built onspecial overpass. Pilots experience the thrill of taking off or landing on a narrow strip with sea on one side and mountains on the other.
Sochi Airport
In Russia, Sochi airport is one of the most difficult for pilots. It is located between the sea and mountains. You can land there only from the sea. Because of the mountains, the plane cannot go around if necessary. A strong side wind, the proximity of the sea greatly complicate the work of the crew. On December 25, 2016, a TU-154 of the Ministry of Defense crashed while flying to Latakia. It crashed into the sea after 70 seconds of flight. 92 people died in the crash. Among the dead were Elizaveta Glinka (Dr. Lisa) and the musicians of the Ensemble. Alexandrov, headed by the leader V. M. Khalilov.
Airport ratings are constantly changing. Air gates are being built, expanded, modernized. When asked what is the largest airport in the world, different answers arise every year.
