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Terminal Design

Every indoor tile counts — design terminals that scale to 200 capacity.

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Terminal Design

Your terminal is a capacity engine disguised as architecture. Every indoor floor tile in Itty Bitty Airport adds one passenger capacity — the stat that unlocks Boeing 747 at 150 tiles and Airbus A380 at 200. Terminal design is how you hit those numbers without losing planes to bad jetway routing or blocked taxiways.

Capacity-first design

Before choosing aesthetics:

  1. Calculate target capacity — airport capacity guide
  2. Plan enclosed footprint to hit milestone
  3. Add jetways after taxiways connect
  4. Verify with capacity calculator

Outdoor gates look cool but don’t add capacity unless indoor tiles extend beneath them.

Modular wing strategy

Build repeatable units:

  • 10×5 wing = 50 tiles
  • Two wings = 100 tiles (Beluga ready)
  • Three wings + core = 150 tiles (747)
  • Four wings + core = 200 tiles (A380)

Count twice before announcing unlock readiness.

Concourse layouts

Single pier: One hallway, gates both sides — efficient early

Satellite: Remote concourse + tunnel — mid/late game, watch taxi distance

Linear spine: Main hall with perpendicular gates — scales to endgame — airport layouts

Multi-floor terminals

Upper floors count if tiles are indoor. Popular for hitting 200 without sprawling horizontally.

Stairs and visibility matter less than tile count

Mobile builders may prefer single-floor — mobile vs PC

Jetway integration

Place gates where last-placed jetway routing makes sense

Double Jetbridge concourses need wider terminal fronts — 747/Concorde/A380

Separate Air Stairs zone for Firefighting Plane

Comfort and amenities

Food and comfort inside terminal adds tiles + income

PieInTheSky code theming for pie shops

Don’t block taxi paths with decor

Funding terminal expansion

Codes — $162k bootstrap

How to get money — reinvest plane payouts

747 income funds 150→200 push — endgame airport

Common design failures

Beautiful outdoor-only terminal → 0 capacity → only Beechcraft lands

149 tiles built → 747 one short

Jetways placed before taxiways → pathfinder chaos

Terminal design — Itty Bitty Airport BETA June 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What counts toward capacity?
Indoor floor tiles only — one tile equals one capacity.
Do walls matter for capacity?
Enclosed indoor floor tiles count; outdoor aprons do not.
Multi-story terminals?
Each indoor floor tile on any level counts toward total capacity.
How many tiles for A380?
200 indoor floor tiles minimum.
Terminal shape recommendations?
Modular wings of 25-50 tiles simplify counting and expansion.
Should jetways be inside terminal?
Jetways connect to terminal; capacity comes from indoor floor tiles in enclosed areas.
Terminal before runway upgrades?
Balance both — capacity gates planes; runway class must match too.

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