The runway atlas.

Fun fact: Terminal 2 is the 'Terminal in a Garden' — built with bamboo and filled with thousands of hanging plants.

Why I love it: My home airport. Two independent parallel runways pointing east–west, and a terminal that feels like a forest.

Fun fact: India's busiest airport, with four runways — 11L/29R is one of the longest in Asia at 4.43 km.

Why I love it: Terminal 3 is one of the largest terminals on Earth — and watching four runways juggle traffic is pure chess.

Fun fact: Its two runways cross in an X, so only one can be used at a time — yet it's one of the busiest single-runway operations on Earth.

Why I love it: Crossing runways are rare at big airports. Watching controllers weave departures between landings here is like a chess game.

Fun fact: One of India's oldest airports — commercial flights have used this field since the 1930s.

Why I love it: Another crossing layout, and the second runway even bridges over a river — the Adyar flows under it.

Fun fact: Home of the Jewel and its 40-metre Rain Vortex — the tallest indoor waterfall in the world.

Why I love it: Voted the world's best airport over and over. It has a butterfly garden, a sunflower garden, and a giant slide.

Fun fact: The whole airport stands on an artificial island called Chek Lap Kok — engineers built new land in the sea.

Why I love it: I've landed here! Water on every side, mountains beyond, and now three parallel runways.

Fun fact: 'Suvarnabhumi' means 'Golden Land' in Sanskrit — and a brand-new third runway has just joined these two.

Why I love it: My most-visited foreign airport! Its control tower was among the tallest in the world when it opened.

Fun fact: Four runways in a zig-zag on Tokyo Bay — one of them, D-runway, stands partly on stilts over the sea.

Why I love it: The world's busiest airport with runways in two different directions — the traffic choreography is unbelievable.

Fun fact: Tokyo's second giant — many of the world's longest cargo routes touch down on its 4 km main runway.

Why I love it: One city, two mega-airports: comparing Narita and Haneda is a masterclass in airport planning.

Fun fact: Terminal 3 was the largest airport terminal in the world when it opened for the 2008 Olympics — shaped like a dragon.

Why I love it: Three long runways, one of them numbered differently from its twins — can you spot why on the compass?

Fun fact: Both parallel runways poke out into Botany Bay on reclaimed land — planes seem to land on the water.

Why I love it: The oldest continuously operating commercial airport in the world — flying since 1920.

Fun fact: The world's busiest airport for international passengers — and the A380's biggest home base.

Why I love it: Stand at the window and you can watch a parade of A380s. Its two runways angle with the coastline at 120°.

Fun fact: Its western runway is 4.85 km long — one of the longest civilian runways on the planet.

Why I love it: Half the airport stands on land reclaimed from the Gulf, and a giant teddy bear sculpture guards the terminal.

Fun fact: About 1,300 takeoffs and landings a day on just two runways — one movement roughly every 45 seconds.

Why I love it: The classic west-facing approach glides right over central London — planes queue in giant holding stacks like a sky car park.

Fun fact: The whole airport lies about 4 metres below sea level, on land reclaimed from a lake.

Why I love it: A runway maze! Its famous Polderbaan runway is so far away that taxiing there takes up to 15 minutes.

Fun fact: Two pairs of parallel runways — in each pair, the long one is for landings' partner takeoffs and the short one for arrivals, working as a team.

Why I love it: Terminal 1 is a round concrete spaceship from 1974 with tube-escalators criss-crossing its hollow core.

Fun fact: Runway 18 West is a one-way street: departures only, always pointing south — it has no '36' end in use.

Why I love it: A runway with only one name! Europe's cargo giant also hides a forest between its runways.

Fun fact: Two identical 4 km runways in perfect symmetry — and a brewery right inside the terminal.

Why I love it: The visitors' hill between the runways is one of the best plane-spotting places in Europe.

Fun fact: Three runways in three different directions, juggled around Alpine winds and Swiss quiet hours.

Why I love it: I've flown here! You step off the plane and see the Alps on the horizon.

Fun fact: Four runways in two fan-like pairs, and Terminal 4's wavy bamboo roof stretches over a kilometre.

Why I love it: Europe's highest mega-hub at 610 m — thin warm air means planes need longer runways here.

Fun fact: The busiest airport on Earth for most of the last 25 years — five parallel runways working like a conveyor belt.

Why I love it: An underground train links its seven concourses — the airport is basically a small city with its own metro.

Fun fact: Two pairs of parallels crossing at right angles — 13R/31L is 4.4 km, one of North America's longest.

Why I love it: The gateway where Concorde landed from London — and the old TWA terminal looks like a bird taking off.

Fun fact: Four runways, two each side of the terminals — and the spider-legged Theme Building looks like a landed UFO.

Why I love it: Almost every long-haul giant visits LAX — it's one of the best places anywhere to collect aircraft sightings.

Fun fact: Two pairs of parallel runways cross each other in a giant hash symbol (#) right beside the bay.

Why I love it: Planes land side by side on the 28s so close together it looks like formation flying.