What really matter in an airport?

What really matters at an airport?

It’s been 105 years since the first commercial flight on 1 January 1914. Changi airport is 38 years old (Terminal one opened on 1 July 1981. It has been voted the best airport 10 times in the last 20 years.

So naturally, if a new airport were to be built today, it would be easy given all the best practices observed at Singapore Changi Airport and sufficient budget and space of course. For example, when Bankok’s Suvarnabhumi was opened in 2006, it features the double-size travelator. Being the best airport in the world, Changi’s oldest terminals like Terminal 1 still featured the 800–1000mm width travelator until the renovation a couple of years ago.

Now look at these beautiful shiny design of this upcoming Vietnam airport

Pretty it is surely :)

But let me ask this: how many of us like bus transit at airports?

How many percent of the time we get bus transit at Changi? (hint: 0)

Now count the number of jet bridges in the picture (I count 34) and consider the number of projected number passengers going through Long Thanh: 100 million per year. Tan Son Nhat Internation airport in Ho Chi Minh city, the largest city in Vietnam, have been operating well over is designed capacity for decades. Long Thanh Internation Airport was designed to solved that 100 million passenger problem… with 30+ jet bridges!

Perhaps it’s forgivable since Vietnam only has little resources from only 95 million people and GDP of USD 224billion dollars (2017 figures; Ho Chi Minh City alone 9 million and USD182 billions dollars)

Now look at this even shinier and prettier airport and guess where it is?

What really matters? Style or substance? Changi has both (interior style not external though)

Disclaimer: I’m not an expert designer or organiser, only a honest and hard working person with common sense and critical thinking and curiosity.

Let me know who you are and your opinions in a comment ;)