In the span of under a century or so, aviation has become one of the most important pillars of our society. Humans turn to airplanes for pretty much anything, from waging war to having freight and relatives shipped to other places.
According to official estimates, some coming from none other than the CIA, there are now close to 47,000 airports operating around the world. The FAA, on the other hand, lists over 14,000 private-use and 5,000 public-use airports, heliports, and other such ports in the U.S. alone.
In terms of size, the largest airport on this planet is King Fahd International (DMM) in Saudi Arabia, covering a total of some 300 square miles (some 780 square km). In terms of passengers, the biggest would be Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL), which handles close to 76 million of them each year.
By comparison with either of them, the Birmingham Airport (BHX) airport in the UK is tiny, despite being the nation’s third outside London. At the moment, just 12 million passengers go through the place.
But this doesn’t make it any less crowded, and because the place has only one operational runway, it at times is the perfect place to spot a sort of relay race between aircraft coming in to land and the ones departing.
We are treated with a taste of what that means in a video Airplane Pictures published this week, showing an Airbus A320 coming in to land. There’s nothing truly spectacular in that, until another aircraft, an Embraer 195, comes into view, as it was taking off just a short distance away.
What’s important to note is that all these airport stunts are carefully choreographed moves, with air traffic controllers always being on top of things to keep everyone safe. But they do remain spectacular, and you can enjoy one in the video attached below.
In terms of size, the largest airport on this planet is King Fahd International (DMM) in Saudi Arabia, covering a total of some 300 square miles (some 780 square km). In terms of passengers, the biggest would be Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL), which handles close to 76 million of them each year.
By comparison with either of them, the Birmingham Airport (BHX) airport in the UK is tiny, despite being the nation’s third outside London. At the moment, just 12 million passengers go through the place.
But this doesn’t make it any less crowded, and because the place has only one operational runway, it at times is the perfect place to spot a sort of relay race between aircraft coming in to land and the ones departing.
We are treated with a taste of what that means in a video Airplane Pictures published this week, showing an Airbus A320 coming in to land. There’s nothing truly spectacular in that, until another aircraft, an Embraer 195, comes into view, as it was taking off just a short distance away.
What’s important to note is that all these airport stunts are carefully choreographed moves, with air traffic controllers always being on top of things to keep everyone safe. But they do remain spectacular, and you can enjoy one in the video attached below.
Airbus A320 landing while an Embraer 195 is departing from BHX ??
— Airplane Pictures ? (@ilove_aviation) August 3, 2022
???? flugsnug pic.twitter.com/fmaOY8kNbQ