Penguin City Airport

Penguin City Airport (ACAO: PCA AATA: EPCA) is an international airport serving the Penguin City Metropolitan Area. It is located just North of Downtown Penguin City in the Wright Center district, providing easy access to the urban core of the city. Penguin City Airport is owned and operated by the Penguin City Department of Transportation.

Penguin City Airport serves as the hub and headquarters for Penguin Shops Air and Penguin World Air, both owned by Penguin Air, Inc. The airport is a "fortress hub" for both airlines, accounting for nearly 80% of all traffic combined. Because of this, the airport is usually not a final destination for many passengers, instead transferring to other flights.

This airport is the only airport in Shops Island that has an air force base within it. Jean Air Force Base, named after Bro Jean, was built to coincide with the Great Space Race of 2013. PCA is also the only airport on Shops Island that bans general aviation, and pilots are instructed to use San Vancelton Regional Airport or Yoshi Egg Airport instead.

A Flawed Beginning (2011-February 2012)
As part of the requirements for becoming a city, Penguin City was required to build at least one airport. Ben determined that a strategic position near the settlements (today's Downtown area) would be the best place to put an airport. Construction began early in 2011, and thanks to "speedy construction", the airpot was opened on October 22, 2011. Penguin City would eventually become an official city two days later, as well as Penguin Air flights.

This "speedy construction", however, meant that the airport was built while overlooking major flaws. The original design of Penguin City Airport involved a Departures and Arrivals building and two separate concourses, Concourse A for jets and Concourse B for commuter air. However, the only way that passengers could get to these concourses were via old, inefficient, and slow busses. Due to Penguin City's tropical climate, penguins were often exhausted while riding the busses. The terminal buildings themselves were also quite flawed, and the rains of Penguin City made the buildings leak.

Quite possibly the biggest flaw of all, however, was the air traffic control tower. Communication with the tower was often fuzzy, and the control tower itself was barely even a tower at all. It was difficult for air traffic controllers to see incoming traffic. Luckily, there were no major accidents, but it became that something needed to be done with the airport.

Airport Rehab (2012-Present)
Shortly after Ben was thrown out of office, the Penguin City Department of Transportation began "Airport Rehab". The initial design called for a new international terminal for future use, a new GateLink tram connecting the D&A building to the terminals, a new air traffic control tower, and the demolition of Concourse B. Funding for "Airport Rehab" was scarce, but after the Shops Island Gold Rush occurred, the DOT was able to secure funding for the project.

The highest priority was the new air traffic control tower, and construction for that began in March 2012. Soon after that, construction on the new international terminal began, as well as the new GateLink tram system. The stretch of the tram between the Departures and Arrivals building and Concourse A was completed by November 2012. As Concourse B was expected to be demolished, it was still accessed by the old, slow busses.

The next year, in June 2013, the new international terminal opened up, called the Mamao terminal. Concourse A was renamed the Kokoke terminal, and Concourse B was closed down. Before demolition was the begin, however, the SIA seized control of the concourse. This is now the Jean AFB. The new air traffic control tower was also given a boost thanks to this, and it opened the next month. The old tower was demolished soon after that.

Today, renovations to the Kokoke terminal and the Departures and Arrivals building are being conducted. The renovations will both improve the passenger experience and make the buildings themselves much safer.

Airlines and Destinations
As this is a hub airport, Penguin City is not the final destination for many passengers. Listed below are the airlines and destinations in Penguin City as of April 2015.

1. Due to overcrowding, all PSA international arrivals are deplaned at the Mamao terminal. The plane is then ferried to the Kokoke terminal.

Facilities
Penguin City Airport has two terminals. One of them is the Kokoke terminal, first built in 2011. It serves domestics flights. The other terminal is the Mamao terminal, opened in 2013. It serves all the international flights. The airport also has an SIA air force base, known as Jean AFB. There are two runways. One of them is runway 07/11. The runway is 9,200 feet. There is another runway, which is runway 09/14. That runway measures 6,900 feet.

Departures and Arrivals
The Departures and Arrivals area is the "common" area of Penguin City Airport. Included is a baggage claim area, short and long tern parking areas, drop-off zones, a rental car facility, and airline check-in counters. Along with the normal check-in areas, there are dedicated BusinessPLUS check-in lines for Penguin Shops Air and Penguin World Air. This building connects to the terminal via GateLink.

Mamao Terminal
The Mamao Terminal is the newest terminal at the airport, serving international flights. The terminal is served by all international airlines, like Penguin World Air and SkyJet Airways. There are currently only 6 gates (1-6), along with a general airport lounge. All arriving passengers must take a walkway to the Customs and Arrivals building, but departing passengers must take the GateLink train.

Kokoke Terminal
The Kokoke terminal is the original terminal when the airport was first built. This terminal is served by domestic carriers. Some of them are Penguin Shops Air, Shop Jet, and Freezestonian Air. There are 15 gates (7-12, 14-22) complete with a skydome, a PenLounge, and one of two McDoodle's restaurants in Penguin City. The terminal connects to the Departures and Arrivals building via GateLink. The Kokoke Terminal is notorious for its leaks during rainy weather, but the Airport Rehab project will allow for a better terminal.

Jean AFB
The Jean AFB was the commuter air terminal, with 10 gates (marked as B1-B10). Due to low use of the terminal, Concourse B was eventually shut down on June 13, 2013.

In early July 2013, when the SIA Space Command Fleet was being assembled, Concourse B was turned into a miniature military base for takeoff operations of the new Lancer and Actis space planes. The government also seized the closed runways and used them as takeoff strips for the space vehicles.

Inter-Terminal Transport
The Penguin City Airport offers an inter-terminal tram, called the GateLink. This was built as a part of Airport Rehab. The GateLink is operated by two 4-car trams, with one train on each track. Each train can reach up to 34 mph. The Departures & Arrivals station is the central station. Taking the eastbound train will take you to the Mamao terminal. Taking the westbound tram will take you to the Kokoke terminal. The stretch to the Kokoke Terminal (then Concourse A) was completed in November 2012, and the Mamao stretch was opened with the terminal in June 2013.

Previously, the terminals were connected by busses. While it was a good transportation method back when Penguin City was tiny, increasing tourism and Penguin Air's hub operations rendered it useless. The buses were low capacity, slow, and often stuffed.

Traffic and Statistics
As of 2015, Penguin City Airport oversees 84 flights a day, which equates to around 31,000 flights per year. This is minuscule compared to other airports, but for Shops Island, it's pretty impressive. The top five operators are listed below.
 * 1) Penguin Shops Air - 65.5%
 * 2) Penguin World Air - 13.1%
 * 3) Shop Jet - 11.9%
 * 4) Freezestonian Air - 4.8%

All other operators account for 4.7% of the airport's traffic combined.

Transoprtation
Penguin City Airport is served by the PCB.These busses stop at the Deartures and Arrivals building. There are many bus lines that serve the airport. The PCB also operates shuttle busses to Paikiki and Ele Moano. The shuttles operate every 20 minutes.

The airport is also served by the Penguin City Subway, via the "Wright Lane/Airport" station, which is above ground. This station is accessed by walkways from the Departures hall to the station.