A Look Inside The Largest Airports Shows How They Efficiently Handle Millions Of Travelers

The day you've been waiting for has finally arrived! You get to the airport and anxiety hits instantly once you step foot into the massive area. All your excitement is suddenly replaced with fear and worry of getting lost in this maze. With millions of people running around the airport, it can get quite chaotic at times. Large airports such as Turkey's new Istanbul airport can be as big as 1.4 million square meters, leaving the risk of everything being out of control unless a user-friendly approach, navigation system, and smooth operations are put into action. But don't worry, some of the largest airports around the world manage to navigate everything smoothly.

Large airports that run smoothly are equipped with multiple runways to make it possible for aircrafts to fly in parallel without disrupting air control or delaying flights. In these airports, it's normal to find multiple terminals, cargo facilities, and other essential operations to navigate the super high volumes of traffic at busy airports, especially during peak seasons such as Thanskgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve, Easter, and summer vacations. During these seasons, airports are expected to see a higher surge in passengers, making extra staffing, automation, and improved infrastructure and operations an absolute must. 

Busy airports means that organization is essential. To make sure that the turnaround of aircrafts taking off and coming in is fast and efficient without crowding the runway, the operations are topnotch to manage runway traffic and taxiways. But of course, to keep everything up and running and in order, automation is key. Technologies like AI, robotics, and automated baggage systems make it all possible to run an airport efficiently by streamlining operations to keep everything in order. This includes real-time flight tracking systems that allow passengers to be notified and stay up to date on their flight's status, preventing them from waiting at the airport in case of delays.

Having automated boarding gates not only allows efficiency, but also prevents gate lice and any issues that can occur or disrupting the system. When AI technologies interfere, they also reduce delays by having a baggage sorting system that ensures efficiency and speed, creating a shorter customer journey for passengers. In order to make this happen, the airport needs to be operating 24/7. While automation allows that, specialists monitoring systems are still essential, with humans working shifts to make it possible for round-the-clock monitoring of operations and make sure everything is working perfectly. But the most important aspect of all is the coordination between airlines, ground services, and security to ensure things run smoothly on a day to day basis

The best way to keep an airport manageable is reducing the risk of issues or unfortunate events from occurring. This can be done by putting passengers first and running the entire operation by focusing on the customer journey and keeping them satisfied at all times. Managing passenger flow efficiently in large airports such as Istanbul International Airport is only possible with multiple check-in zones, centralized security systems and clear signage that allows passengers to flow harmoniously through. Innovative technologies such as Biometrics check-ins and e-gates are technological advancements that speed up processing times at busy airports, too. 

The key to running things smoothly is by exceeding operations to match the overflow during peak travel season and busy seasons. This is done by preparing with additional staffing, temporary infrastructures that are used to manage the extra busy times, and other contingency plans to handle emergencies. During disruptions or when an emergency occurs, the most important aspect is efficient communication and handling the issue instantly even when it is uncontrollable or out of the airport's hands. For example, during weather crisis, instead of overloading the airport with angry passengers, giving them lounge access, booking hotels or so on can help manage the whole situation faster and keep passengers happy.