Emerging trends in the aviation sector - how are airports becoming compelling destinations?

“I always had a fascination with how the world is put together and from an early age I wondered what I could contribute to help shape the world around me.”

I joined Benoy as Associate Director within the Aviation team, which is headed up by Peter Farmer. My role is to run the team while Peter is the overall Design Director. There’s five of us in total and we work closely with other teams and resources across the Handley House Group – particularly Pragma, who provide a lot of data-driven insight and support on airport demographics and footfall. I’m an architect by background, and my job is to leverage these insights to help conceive imaginative and strategically focused designs for aviation environments. 

I always had a fascination with how the world is put together and from an early age I wondered what I could contribute to help shape the world around me. I had a curiosity, which I think most designers share, about how things and people connect, whether physically or digitally, and this led me to develop an interest in transport infrastructure. Following my degree, I had an opportunity to work in rail architecture, which I did for a few years before eventually segueing into aviation. There are obvious overlaps between rail and aviation, with shared skillsets and standards, and this made that transition fairly seamless. I also did quite a lot of commercial work initially, which is proving very useful now as there’s a big crossover between aviation and commercial here at Benoy. 

My first job in aviation, which was 12 years ago, involved working on all five major London airports. It was a great introduction to the sector. From this point I developed a real interest in airports, aviation and aeroplanes. I’m particularly inspired by the Golden Age of Aviation, that period of progressive change and innovation in flight during the mid-20^th century. I like to think that age is achievable again, but you’d have to combine the romance and aesthetics of that time with the ​‘open-to-all’ mindset that shapes the modern low-cost aviation landscape. 

In terms of individual designers, I’ve always been inspired by architects who really focus on context, such as the German-American Mies van de Rohe, and more recently Richard Rogers. The Danish urbanist Jan Gehl has also been a big influence. The way he put people first (people, then spaces, then buildings) really resonates with me and aligns with Benoy’s philosophy of ​‘design for people and places’. 

I think there’s real progress being made in the overall airport experience. From curb to plane there’s now a more seamless passenger journey, with AI, automation, tech and design combining to enable smooth passenger flows through airport terminals. In this way, airports are becoming compelling destinations in their own right, places people enjoy visiting, rather than just passing through out of necessity. And thanks to responsive and nuanced design solutions, developers are now able to cater for a broad spectrum of passengers – from those who’ve never flown before to those who take two or three flights a week. 

We’re also seeing the evolution of the retail offer in airports, which is another exciting development. At Benoy, we’re currently working on several schemes where we’re observing in-person shopping coordinate with click and collect and home delivery, plus major advancements in the luxury retail offers and environments. 

In terms of sustainability, I’m really interested in the change in energy use at airports. We’re seeing a lot of ground crews and vehicles shifting away from fossil fuels to electric. And Airbus are currently working on a low-emission, hydrogen-based plane which they plan to put into service in the 2030s. These changes are really exciting. Operators and airlines are increasingly looking for more carbon neutral ways of doing things, and they know they have to follow through on their commitments and pledges. Airports are very ​‘visible’ in their impact, with the sight and sound of planes taking off and the large operational footprint, so changes have to be very visible and real as well. But the developments we’re seeing in terms of how airports are run really give me hope. The aviation industry is always changing, and I think it’s currently evolving towards a genuinely sustainable future. 

From an architecture and design perspective, I’m a really big fan of Heathrow Terminal 5, both in terms of its overall aesthetic qualities and its simplicity and usability. An airport I’ve never been to but have always admired is Denver International Airport, just the sheer scale and beauty of it – I’d love to visit one day. But on a more personal level, Donegal Airport in Ireland is a real favourite of mine. It’s just a small building and a landing strip, very simple. But it’s where I’m from and it has one of the most scenic landings in the world. It’s a very nice way to come home. 

If you would like to discuss further, please contact Ronan Needham at Ronan.​Needham@​benoy.​com.