Alstin-Highwind International Airport

Alsitn-Highwind International Airport (IATA: ALS, ICAO: CALS, TAA: ALS), commonly referred to as “Alstin-Highwind” or “Highwind International,” is the main international airport serving Alstin City, United Republic. It is the largest of the seven airports in the Alstin airport system. The airport is owned by the City of Alstin and operated by the Capital District Airport Authority. In 2030, it was the third-busiest airport in the world by international passenger traffic, the fifth-busiest in international cargo traffic, and the busiest airport in Crona.

Alstin-Higwind is the primary hub for Air Alstin and a secondary hub for Raven Airlines and UR Airways, the three flagship airlines of the United Republic, along with low-cost carriers Deralveca Air and Rocotia Airlines. Over 90 airlines fly to Alstin-Highwind from 220 international destinations, along with 160 destinations across Alstin. The airport was founded in 1923 as small airfield, but was heavily developed into a larger airport during the Second Great War. Since then it has been, gradually expanded to now include four runways, four operational passenger terminals and two cargo terminals. It lies 20 kilometers southeast of Downtown Alstin on a site that covers 18 square kilometers.

The airport serves 105 million passengers yearly to 380 destinations across Alstin and the world. The airport has international services within Crona, Sarpedon, Alshar, Audonia, Levantia, Great Kirav, and Australis

Location
Alstin-Highwind International Airport is located 20 kilometers southeast of Downtown Alstin, falls entirely within the boundaries of the Borough of Highwind. The airport is accessible via numerous transportation methods, including the adjacent A1 Motorway and the Alstin Underground's Langford Line.

Operations
Alstin-Highwind International Airport is used by over 90 airlines flying to 380 destinations in 125 countries. The airport is the primary hub of Air Alstin and is a base for Raven Airlines and UR Airways. It has four passenger terminals (lettered A to D) and a cargo terminal. Of Alstin-Highwind’s 105 million passengers in 2030, 65% were travelling into or out of the country; the remaining 35% were bound for, or arriving from, destinations within the United Republic. The busiest single destination in passenger numbers is Kurst, with over 2.5 million passengers flying between Alstin and Kurst International Airport in 2030.

Facilities
In the 1950s, Highwind had six runways, arranged in three pairs at different angles in the shape of a hexagram with the permanent passenger terminal in the middle and the older terminal along the north edge of the field; two of its runways would always be within 30° of the wind direction. As the required length for runways has grown, Highwind now has only four runways arranged in the shaped of a square. From the air, almost all of the original runways can still be seen, incorporated into the present system of taxiways. North of the northern runway and the former taxiway and aprons, now the site of extensive car parks, is the entrance to the access tunnel and the site of Highwind's unofficial "gate guardian".

There is a multi-faith prayer room and counseling room in each terminal, in addition to Saint John's Interdenominational Chapel in an underground vault adjacent to the old control tower, where services take place. The chaplains organize and lead prayers at certain times in the prayer room. The airport has its resident press corps, consisting of seven photographers and one TV crew, serving all the major newspapers and television stations around the world. Most of Highwind's internal roads’ names are coded by their first letter: N in the north (e.g. Nyland Road), E in the east (e.g. Elmer Road), S in the south (e.g. Stevens Road), W in the west (e.g. Walter Road), C in the center (e.g. Campbell Road).

Terminals
The airport's terminal complex consists of four terminals. The entire terminal complex has 137 total gates: 121 gates with jetways and 16 hardstand locations from which passengers can board or disembark using the airport's plane mate vehicles. The terminals are connected by a three-line automated people mover system called the Highwind Underground, moving passengers between the four terminals and the Airport Hotel.

North and South Terminals
The North and South Terminals were the original terminals built in 1945 for the airport. Originally, the North Terminal was designated for international flights, and the South Terminal was designated for domestic flights. Today, both terminals are almost exclusively used for domestic flights, though international flights depart occasionally from the North Terminal during periods of heavy air traffic. There are over 130 shops and restaurants in both terminals, with the North Terminal containing an Oyashimese Garden, a 9-hole mini golf course, and an arcade, while the South Terminal contains a botanical garden, a Daxian-style Teahouse, and a movie theater.

West Terminal
The West Terminal, built between 1968 to 1972, marked a significant development in the airport's operations, allowing for increased air traffic to transit more efficiently at the onset of the Golden Age of International Air Travel. Consisting of 47 gates, it is the only terminal that is used for exclusively for international flights. As such, it has over 80 shops and restaurants, as well as other services catering to international travelers, including currency exchange services, a branch of the Bank of Alstin for international money transfers, a duty-free mall, and direct monorail access to the Highwind Airport Hotel for overnight layovers.

East Terminal
The East Terminal is the newest terminal to have been built at Highwind, having been constructed between 1997 and 2002. It has 36 gates, with international and domestic flights sharing terminal usage. It has 62 shops and restaurants, an international art gallery, direct monorail access to the Highwind Airport Hotel, and an metro station linked to the Alstin Underground's Langford Line.

Airline Lounges
Since many major domestic and international airlines have a large presence at Alstin-Highwind, there are many airline lounges within the airport:


 * Air Alstin: Three Air Alstin Clubs in the North Terminal (at gates N7, N11 and N24), and one in the West Terminal at gate W2. There is also a Gemstone Lounge located in the East Terminal directly across from gate E3.

TBA