CORE: Old Magic of Air Travel

Rarely do the words opulent and ritzy come to mind when you think of an airport visit, but the airports below are exactly that; exclusive tourist attractions, with exquisite composition and an eye for design. These new breed of airports are guaranteed to enhance the discerning travellers experience with more than beauty but a heightened functionality. The dreaded announcement of a flight delay might not seem all-that-bad whilst you’re backdrop is the sun in a must see location.

Kansai International Airport in Osaka, Japan is the first ocean airport in the world, illustriously poised on an artificial island in the middle of Osaka bay. Kansai airport was designed by Italian architect, Renzo Piano, who is also responsible for London’s Shard. A distinguishing feature of one of Japans most important international airports is its visibility from space.

The Northern African Country of Marrakesh, Morocco designed an airport that thought of its traveller’s well-being in addition to gracing all with its beauty. The Menara airport has stunning lattice work, offering passengers shade and a stunning gateway to Morocco.

The concept design for the world’s largest airport passenger terminal has been completed by ADP Ingeniérie (ADPI) and Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA). The Beijing New Airport Terminal Building concept will be located in Daxing, Beijing and boasts a unique design almost resembling a snowflake.

The King Abdulaziz terminal in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia is a 1980’s design unlike any other. Its powerfully sensational series of tents, serves to protect millions of weary travellers passing through the terminal each year from Jeddah’s searing desert sun.

This striking airport was completed just in time for the 2008 Olympics. The Beijing Capital International Airport Terminal 3 building is the second busiest airport in the world, with its sensational, concave roof canopy emanating Chinas traditional awe-inspiring structures.

A final breath-taking airport concept is the London Britania Aiport. The Gensler Architecture firm has unveiled the concept proposal of a floating airport, located in the Thames Estuary. Four floating runways would be tethered to the seabed and departure concourses would lead to underwater rail tunnels connected to Central London, as well as European rail networks. This airport is sure to dazzle with its powerful conceptual design and has promised to reduce environmental impact, cost and disruption to London.