International airport

Detailed technical standards have been developed to ensure safety and common coding systems implemented to provide global consistency.

In August 1919, Hounslow Heath Aerodrome, in London, England, was the first airport to operate scheduled international commercial services.

In the early days of international flights, infrastructure was limited, "although if engine problems arose there were plenty of places where aircraft could land".

[5] Since four-engined land planes were unavailable for over-water operations to international destinations, flying boats became part of the solution.

[6] The advent in the early 1960s of jet aircraft such as the Boeing 707 with the range to fly non-stop between Australia or New Zealand and Hawaii, meant that a mid-Pacific stop was no longer needed and the airport was closed to regular commercial use.

[9][10][11][12] Designing an airport even for domestic traffic or as "non-hub" has, from the beginning, required extensive co-ordination between users and interested parties – architects, engineers, managers and staff all need to be involved.

Because of high capacity and busy airspace, many international airports have air traffic control located on site.

[17] Airport management have to take into account a wide range of factors, among which are the performance of airlines, the technical requirements of aircraft, airport-airline relationships, services for travelling customers, security and environmental impacts.

This group included representatives from Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, San Francisco and Washington.

[19] International airports have extensive operations in managing flight logistics, such as air traffic control.

[21] However, as some countries have agreements that allow connecting flights without customs and immigrations, such facilities do not define an international airport.

The current trend of enhancing security at the cost of passenger and baggage handling efficiency at international airports is expected to continue in the future.

[22][23] This places financial burden on airports, risks the flow of servicing processes, and has implications for the privacy of passengers.

This area can have services such as duty-free shops that sell goods that have been selected and screened with safety in mind, so that purchasing and bringing them on board flights poses no security risks.

This allows for more efficient processing of passengers with fewer staff, as well as makes it possible to detect both delays and security threats well ahead of boarding.

[27] Due to the very large scale of international airports, some have constructed shuttle services to transport passengers between terminals.

[27] Amenities at ground transportation centers typically include restrooms and seating, and may also provide ticket counters, food and beverage sales and retail goods such as magazines.

[27] Some ground transportation centers have heating and air conditioning and covered boarding areas[27] (to protect passengers from the elements).