What will airports be like post-pandemic?

There’s no doubt that the coronavirus pandemic has had a catastrophic impact on the travel industry. 

The global sector lost $320bn (£244.5bn) in exports in the first five months of the year and put more than 120 million jobs at risk, the chief of the UN said in August. Cancellations and suspensions to holidays and flights continue to occur around the world, and public confidence in flying is at an all-time low.

Not everyone takes a negative view on the current condition of travel, however. “In aviation, there’s always a crisis,” Dr Karsten Benz, professor for aviation management at Frankfurt University and former chief commercial officer of Austrian Airlines, tells Business Airport International.

“Disruption is normal – 9/11, Sars, the financial crisis, the Icelandic volcano. It’s two good years, two bad years, so you must train your people to expect volatility. But after each crisis, a recovery always follows. You must be prepared for when demand returns.”

The resilience and ingenuity of humankind has already resulted in a “new normal” within the sector, typified by mandatory face masks, social distancing and digital check-ins. People’s desire to discover new places, immerse themselves in different cultures and meet new people is powerful indeed. Travel can be transformative.

But once the industry begins to recover, what will airports – the essential hub at the centre of air travel – look like? We asked the experts.

"Airports are small cities today in their scale,” Ty Osbaugh, an architect and global leader in Gensler’s aviation practice, tells The Independent. 

“The future of airports is that they will take on functions that a robust city encompasses. Medical facilities, rehabilitation centres, wellness offerings, and gyms will become the norm in facilities moving forward.”

“Airports will become smarter – not larger," HKS Architects’ Pat Askew says. “They will use technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and biometrics to monitor air quality, the cleanliness of airport areas (handrails, bathrooms, seating, etc.) and crowd management, among other things."

Askew is one of the leading figures in airport planning and design and has worked on some of the world’s most successful airports and airlines, including Heathrow’s Terminal 5, Doha’s Hamad International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport. 

He believes building larger terminals is not realistic. 

“Designing larger terminals is typically not economically sustainable. Many airports are landlocked, which is why flexible technology solutions to clean, sanitise and help people move efficiently through the airport are so critical,” he says. “We can look towards hospitals and large venue spaces for inspiration.”

Osbaugh adds that airports are vast buildings but much of their space is underutilised by security functions. “Maximising the use of all of the space available is how airports can change their size without dramatic changes,” he says.

Osbaugh says that now is “an opportunity to think about our long-term desires for how we want to travel”. And that future could see airports expanding their outdoor spaces. 

“Airports have been defined by massive enclosed spaces for the passenger needs,” he says. “As the facility transitions to being an open concept (with security at the front or back of the facility), new outdoor spaces can be introduced. As part of the rebalancing of terminals, unused spaces can become outdoor gardens as moments of respite.”

The use of apps are one way in which airports are adapting to Covid-19. 

“Airports are already implementing apps for personal identification and check-in, bag check, temperature screening, shopping and parking options,” says Askew.

“As the touchless travel experience becomes more widespread, we expect there will be a demand for person-to-person concierge services.”

Post-pandemic, airports in the US at least will no longer divide secure and non-secure sides of a site, says Osbaugh. 

“The delineation of spaces will bleed. By enabling technological solutions to use biometrics, thermal imaging, and other ‘high speed’ operations, security could be moved to the front door of the terminal, rather than the middle. 

"Passengers could check into their flights at home, drop their bags at the front door, move to their gates at their leisure and, once there, get a final TSA security clearance to board the aircraft,” he says. “This would create a single open space for people to wait and wander on their own terms. With the same size airport, and the same passenger volume, people would have far more room to roam.”