Do you miss going to the airport? I probably wouldn’t miss it if everything was normal, as airports are usually more of a drag than an excitement. However, I miss going to the airport. I miss seeing people carrying their luggage around. I miss buying the large Toblerone bars. I miss browsing through duty-free shops. I miss travelling. I think it’s completely natural to feel this way, since travelling was such a normal and easy thing to do.

If you feel the same way as I do and want to get a little bit closer to an airport, let’s learn some airport trivia together! Today, I’ve partnered up with Aviation Spares & Repairs, ground support equipment supplier, to share some extra airport facts with you.

#1 Approaching nature.

While the Singapore’s Changi Airport is home to a various themed gardens that embrace nature and all its glory, London’s Heathrow Airport has a different approach to nature. At Heathrow Airport, carts equipped with loudspeakers that play distress calls of birds to scare them away from runways.

#2 Therapy animals.

As this article on the Diary of a Jewellery Lover mentions, “Therapy animals work in airports around the world to keep travellers and workers at ease and stress-free.” These can be a variety of animals, from miniature horses to dogs and even pigs.

#3 Goodbye olives.

Not sure much an airport-related fact but still aviation focused. In the 1980s, American Airlines found out that by only removing olives from passengers’ meals they could cut costs immensely, saving $40,000 in the course of a year.

#4 Lost Ballons.

Breathing Travel shared a video of what happened to lost helium balloons which float up to the ceiling at Ben Gurion Airport, Israel’s main international airport. These are collected by airport employees and taken to children in hospital.

#5 Appreciate art.

The Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is home to the Rijksmuseum, a small museum exhibit that displays original classic paintings from historic Dutch artists. It’s free and the perfect activity to kill time while waiting for your flight.

Do you know of any other interesting airport facts?