As airports expand – and as our cities expand towards them – these huge pieces of the urban fabric could become another suburb in the tapestry of the city. A suburb we can visit and enjoy, whether we have a flight to catch or not.
“It will be easier to come in and out, and to move around airports,” she says. “It will be less about process and stress, more about enjoying what’s on offer.”
“They are going to become much more than a place you go to catch a plane,” says Daff. “In order to stay relevant and keep growing, airports are going to embrace their role as this new kind of town centre. And with that comes all the things that make great urban places: culture, entertainment, wellness and retail.”
Even more than a physical shift, it’s a psychological shift for air passengers to start to view the airport as a place to shop, eat, see some live music and then go home – whether by plane or not. But, depending on what’s on offer, it could be an easier shift than we think.
“It’s a chance for airports to truly become a part of their cities: part of the brand and the culture but importantly part of locals’ lives.”
Rebecca Daff, Principal
Fifty years ago, the proliferation of supermarkets and the hyper-success of shopping malls like Westfield would have seemed unthinkable in the era of the high street. Daff describes the future airport as a place we go to enjoy ourselves, with air travel as an added, secondary convenience.
“You could fly in to see your favourite artist play a concert at the airport and then you could fly home, or you could stay at the hotel at the airport, then visit the fresh food market and see a film the next morning before flying out,” predicts Daff.
These are just a few of the amenities she predicts airports of the future will embrace: beauty and wellness spas, local artist pop-ups, AI-assisted shopping and luxury dining are a few more.
“These are huge spaces that should be exploited to their fullest, for the enjoyment of the community,” she says.
