MALI Study: how to make effective modern airport, 2026.Terminal and Passenger work.
All airports need to have basic utilities and necessities for Vistors, and staff. We can start with the entrance. Most airports have some way to get in the terminal for any person, some are road access, bus/shuttle stations, and the most important of all the parking lot.
Parking lots.
Most airports have parking lots which have to be safe, legal, and follow basic procedures. First, all parking lots must have sidewalks and clear info that you’re getting in one. Second, you must decide if it’s paid or public. Third, there must be basic road safety, and lastly, we recommend having parking for disabled or special parking spots for staff. The same for on‑ground or elevated‑ground parking, or indoor ones.
Transport, part 1: Roads.
Well, you may have trains, planes to get into planes, and buses. But well, you still need one thing: a road network. There are many designs. First, there is the one‑way loop system where you have your highway or main road branching off to two one‑ways which loop around your parking lot and extend to your terminal entrance. This is used for MALI, but there are many designs. There are Qs, Os, and yes &s which are entrance and double loop. You may use a mix of these like Indianapolis INT. We will talk more of this later, but have at least one entrance in your airport that connects to a transport road for emergency vehicles or more, and in Theo town airports can use to give emergency vehicles a non‑traffic way to transport between point A and B.
Transports, part 2: Public T.
Unless you’re one of those classic Americans. Public transportation can be good for many reasons: traffic, ticket money, and fewer cars. There are many choices, but two good ones are buses and trains.
Train stations
For a train station you need to have railways. For that, there are many things you can do: an underground entrance for your railway used for MALI, or more simply a railway on ground. You don’t need to loop it, but just like roads you can do Os, yes, and still &s, and even half Os: )s. The only thing is that you need a train station and connection from there to the terminal. Like in MALI where you have a path going directly to the main terminal.
Bus stations
Well, cheaper but still good, you have a bus. This time you have two options: use a bus road or the main entrance road. Please use the entrance road; it’s cheaper, more efficient, and also, it’s just one bus. In your bus station you want to make sure you have a bus stop, an entrance way to the terminal, and it’s one road. Yes, a country road, not recommending putting a bus stop on a highway.
Main Terminal.
Well, now we have the main terminal. After the line of entrance buildings you want a main hall. This moves passengers between areas. In MALI they are curved and round, but you can use any shape or kind, just make sure they exist.
Now, just before the concourse, make two halls going off from the main hall or halls and at least two buildings in length so that your planes aren’t too close to the main hall.
Concourse.
One of the simplest things is the concourse. It has to have jetways or gates. Simply add a jetway with most plug‑ins and make it look like it’s connected to your static plane. You can use many plug‑ins that give GV and GW to make it feel better. Make sure the concourses are long and there are at least more than one.
The taxi system/GS
Tarmac Taxi Ways.
The tarmac taxiways are dark unlike most representations most of the time. These are the taxiways connecting from your gates. They are around the concourse, and you can add signs and marks at your liking. They end once you want to put the normal taxiways which aren’t surrounding the concourse, which are the gray ones we know and love, and to simply save you time use Theo town official taxiways, also known as transport road. It’s cheap and doesn’t take out your plug‑in space.
Transport road system
The transport road system are the taxiways. They are gray and are 3 units in width. To achieve the width while the default transport or taxiway road from Theo town which is 1 unit wide, you can use plug‑ins or a grayish‑looking asphalt to make it look bigger. Try to not make them crammed and plan what their names will be, like Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie etc. And plan which will be exits, entrances, and will connect to runways.
Runways.
The final part of your airport are runways. As you already planned your exits and entrances, place the runways according to that and think what their purposes are and how long they will be. An extra is adding blast pads, landing pads, numbering, and more, but with the basics you are good. One thing I will recommend for looks is adding an approaching light like MALI has for 36R and 36L. There are many plug‑ins for these lights.
GCV
GCV are your ground vehicles which are not plug‑ins. If you see the airport page in the game you will see gate types. I would pick the tower‑looking one. Place it where you want ground vehicles to spawn and put transport road or taxiways connecting to it, and small taxi‑looking cars should spawn.
Extras: Cargo Terminal.
To make a cargo terminal you just need an industrial big office‑looking building or use plug‑ins. Don’t make it a real industrial building that makes pollution, because it can harm further development. After you find it, place it by your main entrance road or a special road branching from your main entrance door add a parking lot, following what I said about lots. When you finish it, just add a tarmac, the dark‑looking asphalt, and make it around the area where you want it, and put cargo static planes and GV and more. When you’re finished, follow my taxiway section and connect it to the special or main taxiway system, and if it is special, add a runway for cargo. Just note that I wouldn’t recommend putting it connected to your main hall or passenger terminal. Keep them slightly separated and use decorations to make it feel less industrial.
Have fun and build your airport and this was written by Martin call me by the name of my Theo town account. Credits on my own for the example airport