Airport Areas

The Airports DLC added the ability to create special zones called Airport Areas that are similar to other Areas from the Parklife, Industries, Campus, and Plazas and Promenades DLCs. Previously, airport services were provided by individual buildings (Airport, International Airport, etc.) that do not require an Airport Area, and are still available for use if desired. The Airports expansion allows the player to build sprawling passenger and cargo airports composed of many different buildings.

Creating an Airport Area

Airport areas become available at the Boom Town milestone, which is significantly earlier than the ploppable airports, as they don't unlock until the last two milestones.

Creating or enlarging an area is achieved with an area paint brush found in the Districts and Areas menu in the game.

• 

  Paint Airport Area

• 

  Erase Airport Area

See Districts and Areas for more detailed information on creating an Area.

The Paint Airport Area brush not only defines the airport area, it also levels the painted area and removes the trees. It is important to decide what elevation the airport area will be before starting to create the area. The first point clicked on when beginning to paint the area will determine the area's elevation. Soil will be added or removed as you paint, and may sometimes require the player to either pay to buy or dispose of soil, or manually place it or remove it from somewhere on the map. The Paint Airport Area brush is the only district/area brush with a cost, which depends on how much soil is added/removed.

Airport styles

There are three different styles you can choose from when building your airport: Classic, Modern and Ultra Modern. Each style has three different sizes of terminal buildings, a concourse network, a control tower and a concourse hub with a built-in underground metro station for larger airports. All three style options are available at level 1. If desired, buildings from all three styles may be used in a single airport area.

The more modern the style, the more expensive it is to build and maintain. Classic is the cheapest, followed by Modern, and finally Ultra Modern, which is the most expensive.

As the airport grows, the main terminal can be replaced, or a new terminal can be added while keeping the previous terminal and using them as multiple entrances. Removing the initial terminal will reset the progression of the airport.

Leveling up

There are three levels, starting with level one when the airport area is created. Leveling up is achieved by a combination of the amount of passengers transported and the airport’s attractiveness score. As the Airport Area levels up, new buildings become available. Once leveled up, airport areas do not level down unless the initial terminal is removed. There are a number of decorative buildings that will increase the attractiveness score.

Cargo Airport assets become available when an airport area reaches level three. These can be built in the existing airport, or used elsewhere in a separate Airport Area. An airport area that is cargo only will always remain at level one, as leveling up is tied to passenger count and not cargo transported.

Requirements

The minimum requirements for an airport area to function are:

• a terminal building
• a plane stand connected to the terminal (or concourse)
• a runway
• a taxiway network that allows planes to travel between the runway and plane stand when arriving and departing

A checklist is shown in place of the info panel before most of these requirements are met.

Terminals

All airport areas require at least one terminal building in order to function. There are three different passenger terminals for each style:

Small one-story terminals are the most basic type of terminal. They are available upon founding the airport.

Small two-story terminals are a slightly larger version of the one-story terminals, and have split arrivals and departures. They are also available upon founding the airport.

Large terminals are the largest option, with two stories, split arrivals and departures, and a built-in underground metro station. They are unlocked when the Airport Area reaches level 2. These also have attractiveness values, which depend on how modern the large terminal is.

If a cargo airport is built within an airport area that has a passenger terminal, then a Cargo Airport Terminal is optional. Cargo Aircraft Stands can be placed alongside any road and do not require a connection to a terminal to function.

If a cargo airport is built in an airport area that has no passenger terminal, then it must have a Cargo Airport Terminal. Only cargo trucks can pass through the Cargo Airport Terminal to reach cargo aircraft stands on the inside, blocking passenger cars and other vehicles from driving inside your airport.

Runways

Airport areas require runways for planes to be able to take off and land. Runways are one-way only and placed similarly to roads, but once placed, they cannot be altered. Bulldozing a runway gives the player a prompt asking if they wish to demolish the runway, and if the demolition is confirmed, the entire runway is bulldozed. Changing the direction or length requires the removal of the existing runway and redrawing it to the new direction or length. Runways have a minimum length of 50 units, but no maximum length. Runways cannot cross or connect with one another or with roads. Taxiways can only be connected at four points, two located near either end of the runway on either side. One end is an exit from the runway for planes that have landed, and the other end is an entrance to the runway for planes to take off.

Taxiways

Taxiways are one-way paths for aircraft to taxi between runways and plane stands. Taxiways are similar to roads, but for plane traffic only, and may be laid out and altered much the same way. Airport decorations such as hangars and fuel storage areas may be placed along taxiways, but aircraft do not have any requirement to be able to reach these buildings.

Aircraft Stands

Aircraft stands are areas where the aircraft load and unload passengers or cargo.

Aircraft stands for passengers come in three sizes, small, medium and large and determine the size of plane that will operate there. These stands must be connected to the terminal or concourse.

Cargo Aircraft stands come in only one size, and allow cargo to be transported by cargo planes. These stands may be placed along regular roads or Cargo Airport Roads.

Concourses

Concourses are networks that appear like part of the building, and are used to connect airport terminals, concourse hubs and aircraft stands. As it is a network, place a concourse by click and drag, much like placing roads. Concourses must be placed inside an Airport Area on flat terrain.

In addition to Aircraft Stands, the Airline Lounge can be placed on a concourse, and the three public transport buildings Airport Bus Station, Elevated Airport Metro Station and Airport Train Station must be placed on a concourse.

	Building	Cost (₡/cell)	Upkeep (₡/week/cell)
	Classic Airport Concourse	90	1.44
	Modern Airport Concourse	110	1.76
	Ultra Modern Airport Concourse	130	2.08

Cargo Airport Roads

Cargo Airport Roads are special roads optimized for cargo airport traffic.

Medium Cargo Airport Roads are medium-width four-lane roads with utility buildings in the middle.

Large Cargo Airport Roads are wide six-lane roads with two regular lanes, two contraflow lanes, and two loading/unloading lanes.

Decoration Buildings

There are various decoration buildings in the Airports DLC. These include hotels, control towers, parked planes, and hangars. These increase the airport’s attractiveness, which determines how many people will use the airport. The control towers come in the aforementioned three styles, and the more modern a control tower is, the more attractiveness it adds. This also applies to concourse hubs and large terminals, which are not decoration buildings. Adjusting the ‘Air Transport’ budget affects the attractiveness values of the decoration buildings.

Airport Cargo Train Station

The Airport Cargo Train Station is a cargo train station that is optimized for cargo airports. However, this building can be placed anywhere in a city, as it does not require an Airport Area.

Airport buildings

	Building	Type	Level Unlocked	Cost (₡)	Upkeep (₡/week)	Attractiveness	Pollution	Noise Pollution	Water (m3/week)	Electricity (kW)	Size (cells)	Notes
	Classic Airport Terminal	Classic	Milestone: Boom Town	75,000	1,200	0	0	50	240	352	×
	Classic Two-Story Terminal	Classic	Milestone: Boom Town	80,000	1,280	0	0	50	320	640	×	Has split arrivals and departures.
	Modern Airport Terminal	Modern	Milestone: Boom Town	130,000	2,080	0	0	50	240	352	×
	Modern Two-Story Terminal	Modern	Milestone: Boom Town	130,000	2,080	0	0	50	160	320	×	Has split arrivals and departures.
	Ultra Modern Airport Terminal	Ultra Modern	Milestone: Boom Town	170,000	2,720	0	0	50	240	352	×
	Ultra Modern Two-Story Terminal	Ultra Modern	Milestone: Boom Town	170,000	2,720	0	0	50	160	320	×	Has split arrivals and departures.
	Small Hangar	Decoration	Level 1	8,000	80	40	0	50	80	240	×
	Modern Control Tower	Modern	Level 1	85,000	1,312	80	0	50	160	160	×
	Budget Airport Hotel	Decoration	Level 1	50,000	720	40	0	50	240	320	×
	Small Parked Plane	Decoration	Level 1	3,000	12	20	0	50	0	0	×
	Small Parked Plane	Decoration	Level 1	3,000	12	20	0	50	0	0	×
	Small Parked Plane	Decoration	Level 1	3,000	12	20	0	50	0	0	×
	Classic Control Tower	Classic	Level 1	65,000	512	60	0	50	160	160	×
	Ultra Modern Control Tower	Ultra Modern	Level 1	105,000	1,440	100	0	50	160	160	×
	Airport Bus Station	Public Transport	Level 1	25,000	400	-	0	90	240	400	×	Attach to a concourse inside an airport area. Requires a road connection.
	Small Aircraft Stand	Stand	Level 1	10,000	200	-	0	100	160	160	×
	Large Hangar	Decoration	Level 2	14,000	160	80	0	50	160	480	×
	Luxury Airport Hotel	Decoration	Level 2	90,000	128	80	0	50	320	560	×
	Classic Large Terminal	Classic	Level 2	165,000	2,640	80	0	50	320	800	×	Has split arrivals and departures, as well as a built-in underground metro station.
	Classic Concourse Hub	Classic	Level 2	80,000	1,280	50	0	50	320	800	×	Has a built-in underground metro station.
	Modern Large Terminal	Modern	Level 2	215,000	3,440	90	0	50	320	800	×	Has split arrivals and departures, as well as a built-in underground metro station.
	Modern Concourse Hub	Modern	Level 2	105,000	1,680	70	0	50	480	1,120	×	Has a built-in underground metro station.
	Elevated Airport Metro Station	Public Transport	Level 2	30,000	480	-	0	50	192	560	×	Attach to a concourse inside an airport area. Requires a metro connection.
	Aviation Fuel Station	Decoration	Level 2	60,000	480	40	0	50	160	400	×
	Medium Parked Plane	Decoration	Level 2	3,500	13	30	0	50	0	0	×
	Medium Parked Plane	Decoration	Level 2	3,500	13	30	0	50	0	0	×
	Medium Parked Plane	Decoration	Level 2	3,500	13	30	0	50	0	0	×
	Airline Lounge	Decoration	Level 2	40,000	640	60	0	50	160	320	×
	Ultra Modern Large Terminal	Ultra Modern	Level 2	280,000	4,480	100	0	50	320	800	×	Has split arrivals and departures, as well as a built-in underground metro station.
	Ultra Modern Concourse Hub	Ultra Modern	Level 2	135,000	2,160	90	0	50	320	960	×	Has a built-in underground metro station.
	Medium Aircraft Stand	Stand	Level 2	15,000	288	-	0	100	160	160	×
	Aviation Museum	Miscellaneous	Level 3	95,000	1,520	-	0	50	320	1,120	×	Unique Building Entertainment:150 Visitor Capacity: 300
	Parked Cargo Plane	Decoration	Level 3	3,800	16	40	0	50	0	0	×
	Parked Cargo Plane	Decoration	Level 3	3,800	16	40	0	50	0	0	×
	Large Parked Plane	Decoration	Level 3	3,800	16	40	0	50	0	0	×
	Large Parked Plane	Decoration	Level 3	3,800	16	40	0	50	0	0	×
	Airport Train Station	Public Transport	Level 3	40,000	640	-	0	115	320	1,040	×	Attach to a concourse inside an airport area. Requires a rail connection.
	Cargo Airport Terminal	Air Cargo	Level 3	180,000	2,880	0	0	50	800	1,600	×
	Airline Headquarters Building	Miscellaneous	Level 3	120,000	1,920	-	0	10	160	480	×	Unique Building Entertainment: 50
	Large Aircraft Stand	Stand	Level 3	20,000	400	-	0	100	160	160	×
	Airport Cargo Train Station	Air Cargo	Level 3	60,000	1,440	-	0	115	400	1,200	×	Can be placed outside of Airport Areas.
	Cargo Aircraft Stand	Air Cargo	Level 3	13,000	288	-	0	150	160	160	×

See also

Forum: How to build an airport, CO Avanya (Community Manager at Colossal Order), 2022-01-25.