DOHA - No longer just cold and bare places: among the departures and arrivals of modern airports one can also find beauty.
December 7, International Civil Aviation Day established by the UN, may be the right day to find out together with the agency specialized in guided tours Civitatis (civitatis.com), which takes us on a journey through the most beautiful airports in the world.
Opened in 2014, Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, has become very popular on Instagram for its elegant shapes and lines and the giant sculpture of a teddy bear at the center of its main concourse.
The futuristic airport also houses a gym with paid spa in the departures area, a swimming pool and a squash court to make the stop between flights more pleasant.
Menara Airport in Marrakech, Morocco has been in operation for 70 years;
but after the latest renovation, the futuristic terminal 3 offers passengers a structure with decorations and references to Islamic culture.
It is also one of the most sustainable airports in the world thanks to numerous solar panels.
Denver airport has a surprising external structure, full of light and lightness thanks to the project by architect Curtis Frentiss and the clever use of Teflon curtains.
Adolfo Suárez-Barajas International Airport in Madrid is huge and since 2006, thanks to the construction of Terminal 4, it is also a beautiful structure, the work of architects Antonio Lamela, Richard Rogers and Luis Vidal.
The strong point is the undulating roof with bamboo slats and skylights that artistically modulate the natural light.
Still in Spain, the international airport of Bilbao bears the signature of another archistar: Santiago Calatrava.
In the Basque capital, the architect has designed one of the most spectacular airports in the world in the shape of a bird, with two symmetrical wings and a pointed beak pointing towards the sky.
The design of Lyon Lyon-Saint Exupéry airport is also by Santiago Calatrava: this airport too, like that of Bilbao, has the shape of a bird in flight.
It is a true jewel of modern architecture dedicated to the author of the Little Prince.
Inaugurated in 2019 with the ambition of becoming the largest terminal in the world, the Beijing-Daxing International Airport, the work of the famous architect and designer Zaha Hadid, is an imposing 700 thousand square meter building in the shape of a six-pointed star.
Singapore's Changi International Airport is highly original: between a gate and a waiting room, it houses a butterfly garden, a rooftop swimming pool, a (free) cinema, three-story slides, a museum of
Kuala Lumpur International Airport is a futuristic construction that looks like something out of the movie Blade Runner.
The structure has become a symbol of modern architecture, with lights creating surprising effects against the dark colors of the building.
Designed by architect Franz Josef Strauss, Munich International Airport, Germany is one of the most elegant and beautiful in the world.
But that's not all: it was also awarded as the best airport in Europe according to the World Airport Awards.
In fact, it offers many possibilities for spending time having fun or working comfortably: free unlimited wifi, a golf course, cabins with bed and desk for only 10 euros an hour, a spa, a traditional Bavarian brewery and even the Christmas with an ice skating rink (ANSA).
