Euronews
Airports aren't famed for being peaceful spaces - but they do give us the rush we all associate with going on holiday.
Noise and crowds are to be expected. Children are screaming, wheely luggage is reverberating across the floors and announcements can be heard every few minutes, alerting new customers to their boarding gate.
Imagine if you could mute that all out - as if you had put on noise-canceling headphones and everything became quiet.
That’s now a reality in a select few airports around the world which have declared themselves ‘silent airports’.
What counts as a ‘silent’ airport?
In a bid to make the traveling experience more relaxing for flight passengers, some airports are cutting down on the amount of background noise in terminals.
Instead of tannoys making noise every five minutes, they have now stopped delivering announcements altogether. The only exception is in emergencies when children have been lost or found, and some flight delays. But there are no final calls and no call-outs for late passengers.
At some silent airports, all announcements are banned in the main waiting area - but exceptions are made inside each gate.
As a result, noise pollution is reduced and it means passengers only focus on important announcements.
While this makes for a less stressful experience overall, passengers still need to be vigilant of their own flight times to ensure they aren't left behind.
What do people think of silent airports?
In 2015, Bristol decided to become a silent airport in the UK. But one traveler was left outraged after he missed a flight as a result.
Patrick Bury was left behind by his Ryanair flight to Dublin after what he claims was a confusing experience at Bristol Airport. He turned up for his early-morning flight on December 19 and was through security at the airport an hour and a half before take-off.
“A priority boarding announcement was made, and I then expected to hear the main boarding call and final call,” Patrick told Wales Air Forum.
“About five minutes later I went to check again and the gate door was locked. Two employees admitted there were inconsistencies with the system of boarding announcements and said I should complain.”
A list of silent airports around the world
The global silent airport trend is growing rapidly as major airports all across North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia adjust their announcement policies to make airport travel less disruptive.
These are the ones we can confirm have already gone silent.
Amsterdam Schiphol, the Netherlands
Barcelona El Prat Airport, Spain
Bristol Airport, UK
Cape Town International Airport, South Africa
Delhi Airport, India
Dubai International Airport
Cancún International Airport, Mexico
Chennai Airport, India
Eindhoven Airport, Germany
Helsinki Airport, Finland
Kempegowda International Airport, Bangalore, India
London City Airport, UK
Mumbai Airport, India
OR Tambo International airport, South Africa
Punta Cana International Airport, Dominican Republic
Singapore Changi Airport
Venice Marco Polo Airport, Italy
