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The Sublime Loneliness of an Airport
When the pandemic turned Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport into the ultimate 'non-place'
At the end of February 2021, I went somewhere I had never been before. While I had gone through Paris Charles de Gaulle airport in the past, this time things felt different.
At a time when Covid-19 had brought international travel to a standstill, the airport had become a shadow of its former self. Simply entering the place required proof that I was heading somewhere else; and after I had gone through check-in and security, I soon found myself in a terminal void of people.
Walking past shuttered duty-free shops stocked with luxury products, I didn’t see a soul in sight. Though this building was well-lit, its windows couldn’t hide the outer darkness of a night without end. The looping rumble of a travelator played soloist in a symphony of background ambience. Vending machines punctured the visual monotony of rows of seats, but no one was inserting any coins.
It was a picture of pure desolation. Though I had visited cemeteries in the past, I’d never set foot in a space so haunted.
