terminal

THERE’S a landmark right by one of the UK’s biggest airports and we bet you don’t know about it.

Think about the last time you flew from Gatwick Airport in London – you would have been right next to a huge part of the UK’s aviation history.

Gatwick’s original terminal still stands today but it isn’t like any other terminal you will have seen before.

Instead, the terminal was Art Deco and the first circular airport terminal in the world, leading it to be nicknamed The Beehive.

The circular terminal was four floors in total with the main floor having three layers.

The outer part was home to customs as well as storage and toilets, and in the centre of the circle, was the main concourse along with three shops and a post office.

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Between these two layers was another layer that was mainly used as office space, but did include a bar and lounge.

The terminal had a control tower in the centre as well, with 360-degree views.

Outside of the terminal, there were four grass landing strips.

Morris Jackaman bought the site back in 1933 for £13,500 – which is around £1.25million now.

According to the BBC, the circular design came about by accident after Morris’ father warned him if he wasn’t careful, “he’d be thinking around in circles” about the design.

The terminal was built between 1935 and 1936 and operated its first flight – which was to Paris – in 1936.

It was also the first airport to link train and air travel into one place – before, travellers would usually have to head to the closest town and then hop on a bus or in a taxi to the airport.

The airport linked the two via underground tunnels and pull-out canopies which meant passengers could walk direct from the train to their plane completely undercover, even if it rained.

Today, the 130metre tunnel still stands but is sectioned off and mainly used as storage.

When you emerged from the tunnel, you would be in the atrium of the terminal, with three check-in desks in front of you – all of which still stand today.

What are now the fire exit doors, used to be where passengers would step out of the terminal and head to their plane.

When World War II broke out in 1939, operations at the airport stopped as it was then used as a base for the Royal Air Force.

And by the time the war was over, commercial flights had increased in popularity and so the terminal was retired.

It wasn’t until 1958 when it was decided that Gatwick would be London’s second airport, with a much larger building replacing the former terminal, nearby.

In 1996, The Beehive was then Grade II listed and today is used as office spaces – and is sadly closed to the general public.

However, inside the modern terminal you will find The Beehive Wetherspoons pub named after the terminal.

Decor in the pub nods to the old terminal with honeycomb patterns and a curved bar.

ONE of Europe’s biggest airport hubs has opened its huge new third terminal – more than a DECADE after works started.

Frankfurt Airport, the busiest in Germany and 6th busiest in Europe, is often used as a stopover airport for long-haul flights.

And its new Terminal 3 has now opened.

Having started works back in 2015, the new terminal is the airport’s biggest project to date.

Costing €4billion (£3.6billion), inside is a main terminal and three concourses adding to Terminal 1 and 2.

Inside are more than 60 shops and restaurants, we well as new automated bag drop areas and improved CT scanners at security.

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Designed by German architect Christoph Mäckler he said he wants to make the terminal feel like a “city in its own right”.

He added: “These days airports have become a destination in their own right. In fact, they typically receive more visitors than many city centres.

“This makes it even more important for airports to also perform some of the same functions as cities. We’re making this happen in Terminal 3.”

Around 57 airlines will move to the new terminal from Terminal 2, which includes Qatar Airways and Cathay Pacific.

There will also be a shuttle between the terminals, taking less than 10 minutes.

Initially it will welcome up to 19million passengers, although this will eventually increase to 25million by June with the opening of the fourth phase.

Frankfurt Airport welcomed 63.2million passengers last year.

Brits can currently fly to Frankfurt with British Airways for £69, whereas Ryanair’s £15 flights go to the smaller Frankfurt-Hahn Airport.

And Condor Airlines launched a new flight route to Frankfurt from London Gatwick this month, the first UK route for the airline.

If you want to explore the city, it even has its own “mini Manhattan,” thanks to its skyscraper financial district.

CNN Travel previously said: “Frankfurt looks and feels more like a modern American city than any other metropolis when people visit Germany.”

Here is another new airport that has recently had a makeover in Europe.