The transport industry is constantly changing to adapt to the demand for services, quantity and quality, and how people travel and conceive of travel. As one of the critical elements in the service provision chain, airport terminals are not exempt from this pressure.
The growth in air traffic and the size and complexity of aircraft means that versatile and flexible solutions must be found in the design of airport terminals to facilitate passenger and freight access to aircraft. When building an airport terminal, the size of these infrastructures is undoubtedly conditioned by the passenger load at the time of their entry into service and, above all, by the growth forecast throughout their useful life. .
In general, an airport terminal has a public area accessible to the general public where ticket sales, check-in, commercial areas, departure and arrival lobbies and connections with other means of transport are located, a passenger area accessible only to passengers and authorised personnel after passing through security controls, which includes waiting rooms, passport control and customs, boarding gates, baggage reclaim area and commercial areas, and a private area for the exclusive use of employees.
Large airports usually have more than one terminal, and their configuration is strongly conditioned by the traffic to be handled (regional, national or international). High-traffic airport terminals generally offer passengers complementary commercial services and basic facilities for developing their activity. At the same time, they wait at stores, VIP lounges, gyms, internet centres, games areas, museums, restaurants, places of religious worship, etc., all to improve the passenger’s experience during their journey.
Like other unique buildings, airport terminals are architectural beauties worthy of a tourist visit. However, design and functionality must go hand in hand to respond to the utility and primary function that they must fulfil, which is to be a transport interchange between air transport and the rest of the available modes of transport. Aesthetic and landscape criteria should serve the functionality of the infrastructure.
