In a world without fliers, how 7 empty airports in the UK, US and Europe have found new purpose through moonlighting
With most travellers grounded during the coronavirus pandemic, airports have been innovative in finding new uses for their massive facilities – with some now functioning as drive-in cinemas, private concert halls ... even morgues
Airports are finding themselves with more space than they know what to do with as fewer and fewer passengers have been coming through their doors since the beginning of the pandemic. No airport has been immune to the pandemic that's affected airlines in nearly every country, especially as restrictions cripple even the possibility of most travel.
In the US, the country's more than 5,000 commercial airports across the country haven't seen more than 200,000 combined passengers since March 26, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
While their primary mission continues to be the facilitation of air travel, that mandate has become increasingly hard to achieve so some airports have begun to offer alternative services ranging from drive-in movies to Covid-19 testing. Airport administrators, governments and businesses have all been finding ways to make the best of the unused space.
In some cities, heading to the airport now has a completely different meaning. Take a look at the various ways airports have been repurposed as they muddle through the pandemic, just like the fliers they're meant to be serving.
Birmingham Airport, England
Birmingham Airport in England is offering the use of one of its hangars to be used as a morgue. The nondescript building will act as a central morgue for the West Midlands region as the UK continues to see an increase in Covid-19 deaths. The hangar offers capacity for around 1,500 with deaths in Birmingham nearing half that number.
Vilnius Airport, Lithuania
Vilnius Airport in Lithuania converted its expansive tarmac area into a drive-in cinema. The project is called Aerocinema – The Journey Begins and is being undertaken in conjunction with the Vilnius International Film Festival. Cars with a maximum of two people lined one by one in the town's newest theatre, tuning in to the movie's audio via their car's radio. The airport plans to keep the drive-in until at least the end of May while cinemas in the Lithuanian capital are closed.
Airports worldwide are turned into storage facilities
