Revolutionizing Airport Design: Boom CEO Proposes Innovative Underground Terminal Concept
Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic, has recently proposed a groundbreaking concept that could revolutionize airport design and significantly enhance aviation efficiency. In a recent podcast interview, Scholl presented a radical vision of constructing airport terminals underground, while maintaining aircraft operations above ground.
“You should put the terminals underground. Airside is above ground. Terminals are below ground,” Scholl explained.
His innovative concept includes airports with separate arrival and departure runways, enabling a smooth flow of aircraft traffic from one to the other without the need for tugs or complex ground equipment. Passengers would access the aircraft via escalator-style jetways that emerge from the underground terminals.
The underground terminal design would incorporate skylights to ensure natural lighting, thereby eliminating much of the conventional airport infrastructure. Scholl is confident that this approach, based on the principles of crossbar switch, could make airports “radically more efficient” and provide an enhanced passenger experience.
As the development of supersonic travel progresses, such innovative infrastructure concepts may become increasingly significant for next-generation aviation facilities.