Too few people consider the airport a tourist destination. Many consider that its main purpose is to land / take off aircraft and to wait / board passengers. Nothing more true. There are an impressive number of airports in the world that DaVinci himself would envy.
From avant-garde architecture, with fine finishes, to natural settings that cut your breath ... this is when the "shelters" of airplanes and passengers come to call.
3 Terminal of Beijing International Airport
Imagine an airport like a dragon over 3 miles long, with a ceiling lined with dazzling shades of red and yellow, beaten by the sun's rays. That's what the artist looks like 3 Terminal of Beijing International Airport. Every year, over 50 millions of travelers enjoy the wonderful construction.
Barajas from Madrid, 4 Terminal
From Asia we fly directly to Europe and make an admirable stop at the airport Barajas from Madrid, 4 Terminal. Designed in a futuristic style by Antonio Lamela and Richard Rogers, the airport's architecture surprises with a well-developed natural lighting system, favored by both the glass walls and the domes embedded in the roof. Perhaps not all travelers have the time to enjoy the beauty of the place, but certainly many of the millions of people who visit it every year greet the airport's recreational décor.
[Nggallery id = 5]Santiago Calatrava Sondika, from Bilbao
We stay in Spain to discover the creation in all its splendor at the airport Santiago Calatrava Sondika, from Bilbao. The airport amazes the human eye through its contemporary and bold architecture, focused on a nonconformist, linear architectural structure, which is maintained from the outward appearance to the last corners of the inner world. The airport is transformed into a pigeon made of steel and heavy metals ("La Paloma", as it is called by the locals) ready to take off, perfectly integrated into the natural landscape of the Txoriherri Valley.
[Nggallery id = 6]Marrakech Menara Airport
Not far from Spain, on another continent, we aim our engines towards Marrakech Menara Airport. The design of the interior and exterior space can be described in one word: hallucinating. There are details and meticulous elements, meticulous, rigorously placed, which give the impression of sacred, of sanctuary, of divinity. This is probably why the theme of the place is white. I admit, when I saw the first pictures with Menara airport, I felt the need to get off. You will understand why:
[Nggallery id = 7]TWA Terminal at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport
We cross the Atlantic and stop at the place where the lady with the guard watches freedom. If I have an accentuated feeling towards the airports above, to visit them, yes, as in the museum, about TWA Terminal at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport I can tell you from memories. It was the first time I had the feeling that I would miss any destination once I got here. It seemed to me astonishing how someone had time to create so many staircases and walkways. When I left the airport I understood that not the time is the problem (the suspended highway, the suspended railway network, the floor, the terrace and any other attribute that is meant to make the space resource more efficient). What's more, it's cool to eat a Mars and think you have a night on hand to make you brave enough to cross 1% of the city airport. I, personally, liked the architecture of the 4 Terminal.
[Nggallery id = 8]Incheon International Airport
We leave behind the Statue of Liberty, the Land of Promise and take off towards Incheon International Airport South Korea, also named the best operating airport in the world. Finally, a lively airport with a design that reflects the liveliness and features of the Korean people. From the pictures you will understand why I chose it:
[Nggallery id = 9]Thailand, Koh Samui airport
Little by little, you turn your attention to the final destination. Before the end of our journey, we stop at Thailand, Koh Samui airport. It attracted my attention because it is exotic, because it keeps the imprint of its country and because it made me dream. The interior and exterior are part of the same magnificent natural landscape.
[Nggallery id = 11]Milford Sound Airport, New Zealand, Fiordland
We leave Thailand behind and head towards the end of our journey. The coordinates on the board show us that we have arrived in New Zealand, Fiordland and we are preparing to land at Milford Sound Airport. I could describe in many words why we chose to stop here, but I leave the images to tell you my choice:
[Nggallery id = 10]PS The only drawback is that the airport is a seasonal one, being open only in the summer season, the winter snow and the weather conditions make it completely inaccessible.