One of Germany’s most popular tourist attractions is an incredibly realistic miniature airport. Any passionate aviation geek will love this model airport, named “Knuffingen International Airport”, which is based on Hamburg International Airport and located at the fantastic Miniatur Wunderland. The aircraft range from Boeing and Airbus to private jets. They are designed to take off and land in a way that feels as real as possible.

The model airport features 40 planes and 90 vehicles that are able to autonomously move around the airport. Furthermore, there is an airport terminal complete with tiny people, moving jet bridges and aircraft parked at the gates. Of course, these airliners actually taxi across the field to a runway before taking off and flying away through a hole in the wall. The planes’ movements on the ground are precisely controlled by an overhead infrared system.

The miniature airport, which opened in 2011 after six years of construction, is a jaw-dropping sight to behold. Everything from the baggage carts to the taxi rank outside the terminal is created in exhausting detail. Aircraft types and airlines are widely represented, from a Thai Airways Airbus A 380 to Lufthansa regional jets. As an EasyJet Airbus A 320 lines up for takeoff, other aircraft wait in line on the taxiway. On the one hand, there are historic aircraft such as the Lockheed Constellation, and on the other hand, there are the latest airliners, all preparing to take to the skies.

At the terminal, a Lufthansa Airbus A 340 pushed back from the gate, and, just like at a real airport, service vehicles are constantly driving around the field and carefully dodging the aircraft. The miniature airport’s 14-meter runway spans the full length of the room. In the foreground of the runways is the freight terminal and behind it, the control tower. In front of the terminal are parking garages, a commuter rail station, a radar tower and a zone for the loading and unloading of passengers. There is also a large hangar for repairing airliners and a small aviation fair.

The attention to detail is nothing short of breathtaking. Everything is built to scale - not one piece looks out of place. Even the airport fire department is present: If a fire breaks out at the airport and an airplane go up in smoke, suddenly the airport fire trucks stepped in. The airport cycles through day and night every few minutes. As night approaches, thousands of LEDs that line the field and the runway light up. When looking at the model airport at night, it becomes clear that the miniature airport remains a highlight - although it was launched over a decade ago.

In all, the model airport cost 4.1 million euros, which converts to around $ 4.6 million, £ 3.2 million or AU $ 6 million. Words can’t do it justice, so check out Pilentum’s video and become a plane spotter. To achieve a real atmosphere at the model airport, the soundtrack of the video has been dubbed with real sounds of an airport. Pilentum drove to the visitors’ terrace of Frankfurt Airport and recorded original airport sounds for about two hours using a directional microphone.

*Knuffingen Airport*
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*Pilentum Television*
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*Keywords*
#airport #airplane #modelairports

*Credit*
Thumbnail picture by Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg

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