Airport Components

The linear orientation of terminals (1) allows several planes to transit passengers at the same time. The inconvenience of this type of terminal is when they are of large size, movements of passengers and luggage can be long (Chicago, Minneapolis / St. Paul). The islet (2) is an answer to this type of problem while permitting the stowage of several planes on a smaller surface. The isle is often linked to the rest of the airport by a hall or an underground passage (Dallas/Fort Worth). Some airports opt for shuttles (3), which enables to reduce the size of the terminal to the detriment of boarding time. It also occurs in situations of congestion that shuttles are used for the unloading of passengers. In a normal situation, freight planes are loaded and are unloaded by shuttles.