I find myself thinking about this sometimes – where did airports actually begin? Not the modern megahubs we are used to, but the very first places designed specifically for aircraft to take off and land. The history is messier and more interesting than you might expect.
After the Wright brothers made that famous flight in 1903, there was not exactly infrastructure waiting for them. Those early aviators used whatever flat ground they could find. But as planes got more reliable and flights became more frequent, it became obvious that designated areas – actual airfields – were needed.
College Park Airport in Maryland claims the title of worlds oldest continuously operating airfield, opened in 1909. The Wright brothers actually used it to train pilots. Think about that – a place where Orville and Wilbur Wright taught people to fly is still operational today. That is kind of amazing.
Over in Europe, Hamburg Airport in Germany started up in 1911. Originally it was for airships, but it adapted to fixed-wing aircraft pretty quickly. Europeans were just as obsessed with flight as Americans, and the infrastructure followed.
The 1920s and 30s is when things really took off – pun intended. This is when airfields started becoming what we would recognize as airports. Passenger terminals appeared. Runways got paved. Hangars went up.
Londons Croydon Airport, which opened in 1920, is worth mentioning because it pioneered air traffic control systems. Someone had to figure out how to manage multiple planes wanting to land and take off – Croydon was where that puzzle got solved.
World War II changed everything again. All those military airfields built during the war? Many of them converted to civilian use afterward, dramatically expanding the global airport network.
In the US, the FAA came into existence in 1958 after some scary mid-air collisions made it clear that someone needed to oversee American aviation properly. The agency set standards for how airports should operate.
Fast forward to now, and places like Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson, Beijing Capital, and Dubai International are almost cities unto themselves. Millions pass through annually.
What I find fascinating is how organic this evolution was. There was no master plan for global aviation infrastructure. It grew piece by piece. The airports we use today are the result of over a century of problem-solving, investment, and adaptation.
