Airports as urban centres

Dubai’s new Al-Maktoum International Airport is more than just the Middle East’s latest impressive transport infrastructure development – it is a significant portent of change in the concept of airport design. So says aviation journalist, Mark Broadbent.

Al-Maktoum is part of the Dubai World Central (DWC) development, a vast new city being constructed at Jebel Ali. DWC features six “city zones”, including commercial, residential, logistics and leisure areas. If on examining architects’ renderings it seems the city has been designed around Al-Maktoum, then that is not coincidental.

DWC’s concept is to exploit Dubai’s geographical position at the fulcrum of the Middle East, South-East Asia, Europe and Africa. The airport itself is part of a wider aviation city that will include regional headquarters for manufacturers, suppliers and specialists. The idea is that Al-Maktoum will drive DWC’s economy, rather than the other way around.

This concept that an airport can be the engine room of economic performance is not new. A decade ago Dr John Kasarda from The University of North Carolina forwarded his ‘Aerotropolis’ theory, which suggested that airports should develop as urban centres in their own right, offering first-class business and leisure facilities.

More than a hub

Speaking recently at a conference in Manchester, UK, Kasarda said that with continuing airline capacity cuts, it is more important than ever that airports view themselves as more than mere transport hubs. He said, “Airports have changed from places of departure to places of destination. Accessibility is often easier than into cities. Stability is not an option – you either grow or die.”

Kasarda’s words seem to have been taken to heart by several airport operators beyond those in Dubai. Several international organisations including banks and insurers are headquartered next to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands, and a £30 billion (US$541 billion) 1,500-hectare business park is being constructed next to Seoul-Incheon International Airport in South Korea. Frankfurt is also developing real estate around the airport – indeed it now markets itself as an “Airport City”.

This trend of viewing an airport as a “destination” rather than a gateway, extends to terminal facilities. Several airports have opened high-quality retail and leisure facilities to increase footfall. New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport’s Terminal 5 in the USA, opened this week and features nine full-service restaurants run by noted New York chefs and a gourmet food hall.

Top facilities get top marks

Edward Plaisted from Skytrax, an independent research company, believes airports that consistently top passenger popularity ratings are those that, “have every conceivable item of product and service”, and continually invest in top-quality facilities customers actually want. He believes Munich Airport in Germany is a particularly good example – new facilities that were recently opened there include a cinema, cosmetic and physiotherapy services and a miniature golf course.

This, it seems, is the future for airports – being transformed into self-sustaining urban areas that provide first-class facilities, which add value to their users’ experiences.

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