Calling them airports is an understatement. With over fifteen miles of aviation-related commercial properties surrounding some of the largest airfields, these massive urban sprawls are more properly known as aerotropolises. For simplicity’s sake, though, we’ll just call them the world’s most expensive airports.
Currently, the most expensive airport is Hong Kong International Airport, located on Chek Lap Kok island in (surprisingly enough) Hong Kong. With over 47 million passengers in 2007, HKIA is also one of the world’s busiest airports. Passengers may fly in or out via a number of airlines, including Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong Express, Air Hong Kong and many others with “Hong Kong” in their names. For its $20 billion construction, the airport was awarded a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Unfortunately for HKIA, it will soon lose that place.
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that the new record-breaking aerotropolis is being constructed in Dubai. Dubai World Central International, being constructed south of Dubai near Jebel Ali, will cost $33 billion for its infrastructure alone. The plans call for an airfield that can accommodate the latest superjumbo jets, hotels, shopping malls, two 18-hole golf courses and a residential city that can house 750,000 people. Of course, this sort of project takes a lot of time to complete and DWC is no exception. It isn’t expected to be operational until 2017. By that time, yet another record-breaking airport project may be started.
Other aerotropolises include Brisbane Airport in Australia, Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, Incheon International Airport in South Korea, Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia and at least five within the continental United States.
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i knew that airport looked familiar
ya it’s pretty nice inside =)
That airport is HUGE ! Flying from Hong Kong to Vancouver, I had to go to Gate 4. Thinking I had plenty of time (as Toronto airport has not many more gates than that total), I killed time at the resting lounge thinking I had plenty of time. Last laugh on me. I had 10 minutes to get to Gate 70 something.