Archive Gallery: Yesteryear’s Airports of the Future
Cotton runways, a runway powered by ocean currents and something called "the Aerotropolis"
Like us, past generations have envisioned a future of efficient, aesthetically-pleasing airports, and our certainly yields a few fantastical gems.
Just three decades ago, wave-powered landing fields, rotating airports atop skyscrapers and football arenas within terminals were all posed to revolutionize travel, or at least to get people to their destinations on time.
Even today's most renowned facilities, like the Hong Kong International Airport, have nothing on the past imaginings of visionaries and architects. Click through our for a retrospective look at the oddest (and most extravagant) concepts of futuristic airports. Only time can tell whether any of these features will be realized—maybe then, we'd enjoy flying a little bit more.