Best Flooring Options for Airports

The Role of Airports in Today’s World
Airports, which have become one of the most important spaces in our globalizing world, are massive reception centers spanning thousands of square meters and welcoming countless visitors. They also hold a significant identity role, as they shape visitors’ first impressions of a city. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the number of air passengers is expected to reach approximately 4 billion in 2024. Making such a high-capacity and high-traffic space enjoyable, functional, and sustainable presents design challenges.

Desired Flooring Features in Airports
Durability, high thermal and acoustic insulation, high slip resistance, long lifespan, flexibility, ease of maintenance, and decorative appearance are among the main flooring features sought in airports. Airport floors, which are exposed to 24/7 heavy traffic, require high durability. Thousands of passengers, rolling luggage, and transported cargo weights can wear down the flooring, making strength extremely important compared to other commercial areas. Floors can easily become dirty in this continuous high-volume traffic, and challenging cleaning routines make maintenance even more difficult. Therefore, materials that can withstand chaos and are easy to clean should be preferred.

Best Flooring Options for Airports
Airports include various functional areas such as security checkpoints, boarding gates, lounges, waiting areas, bars, restaurants, retail stores, kiosks, offices, wet areas, airline offices, currency exchange offices, medical offices, baby care rooms, prayer rooms, tourism offices, and cargo loading zones. Each area has different flooring requirements. Generally, the flooring should meet the desired features while being suitable for the space’s function.

Raised Flooring Systems
Raised flooring systems are preferred in areas with intensive use of wiring, heating, cooling, and ventilation systems, providing both aesthetic and functional benefits. Being modular, these systems are quick and easy to install and facilitate maintenance of technical infrastructure. They are commonly used in technical offices such as electrical and server rooms at airports, where extensive cabling is required.

Carpet Tiles
Carpet tiles offer warmth, color, and comfort. They are durable and easy to maintain. Their anti-static properties discharge static electricity, trap dust, and help maintain indoor air quality. Damaged sections can be easily replaced, making them economical. Carpet tiles are preferred in passenger waiting areas due to their acoustic and walking comfort. Commercial-grade carpet tiles use polyamide yarns resistant to dirt and stains; spills like coffee can be cleaned with plain water without detergent. Carpet tiles can be combined with other flooring types like wood, natural stone, or LVT to create stylish and contemporary surfaces.

Woven Vinyl
Woven vinyl flooring combines the warmth and texture of textiles with the durability and performance of vinyl. It is a contemporary version of woven textile flooring. Designed for public spaces exposed to heavy use—airports, hotels, offices, shops, and restaurants—woven vinyl is durable, comfortable, easy to maintain, and stylish. By combining different shapes (square, diamond, hexagon, or rhombus) with various colors, unique design combinations can be created. Woven vinyl efficiently absorbs ambient noise and significantly reduces impact noise. Despite its textured surface, it is waterproof, dust-resistant, and stain-resistant. It meets the criteria for high-traffic usage.

LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tiles)
Thanks to protective chemicals used in its top layer and layers beneath, LVT is highly resistant to moisture, mold, stains, and scratches, maintaining its strength and original appearance for many years. Its water- and steam-resistant properties make it suitable for various airport areas. LVT is also easy to install, clean, maintain, and repair, making it an economical choice for large airport spaces. Its sustainability and high design variety make it ideal for transforming waiting areas, lounges, or restaurants into warm, visually engaging spaces.

Woven vinyl and LVT are preferred in circulation areas, shopping, and dining spaces due to their decorative appeal.

Flexible Roll Flooring
Linoleum, rubber, and homogeneous or heterogeneous PVC flooring are preferred as alternative resilient flooring options in airport technical offices. These materials are recommended for high-traffic areas due to their design versatility, ease of installation, maintenance, and cleaning, acoustic performance, high slip resistance, durability, and water resistance.

Epoxy
Epoxy flooring is used in airport parking areas, terminals, and maintenance hangars due to its high impact and fire resistance, ease of cleaning, long lifespan, slip resistance, and high moisture resistance.