OUTRAGE

Slessor argues that there is no sustainable way to build an airport in the time of climate catastrophe. Given the ubiquity of aviation in the modern era, perpetually trumpeting increases in passenger numbers and airports, it might come as some surprise to learn that only 20 per cent of humanity has ever set foot on a plane. The remaining 6.4 billion people have never flown. To some, this represents a crushing disparity of wealth and equality; to others, notably airline executives and aircraft manufacturers, it represents a tantalizing opportunity. Despite embodying experiential qualities of tedium, dislocation and general disagreeability, the airport is one of the 20th century's defining building types.