Domodedovo airport is trying out a new way of calming passengers’ pre-flight nerves – by getting up their noses.
The airport has launched an innovative aroma project aimed at improving both the gateway’s image and psychological climate.
The smells were selected exclusively for the airport – they will encourage passengers to plunge into a warm and relaxed atmosphere full of tranquility and optimistic expectations.
“Each of us smells over a thousand aromas a day – in most cases, without even noticing,” Andrey Shchemelinov, PR and development manager, told RT. “That’s because we get used to them very quickly. We are trying to focus passengers’ attention on smells that trigger certain emotions. For example, in the passenger lounge we help them to relax, and during check-in we help them to concentrate.”
Overall, there are now four aroma schemes, comprised of such smells as vanilla, jasmine, ginger, eucalyptus, bergamot, lavender, and others.
The aromas are dispersed around the airport via the ventilation system – all the smells, in liquid form, go through a special aroma machine that transform them into aromatic dust.
At first, only lounges for VIPs and official delegations will be involved in the aroma experiment. Later the smells are expected to cover the entire airport’s territory.
Home-made “aromatherapy”
While passengers are to enjoy therapeutic aromas, Russian pilots seem to be inhaling smells of quite a different nature.
Two Russian pilots and a stewardess were caught smoking cannabis just ahead of their flight from the Far East to Moscow.
Stopped by staff at a medical station, they turned out to have extremely high pulse rates and blood pressure, and were thus denied permission to fly. A later analysis clearly detected a drug in their blood. Their plane had been due to carry more than 190 passengers.
Apart from problems with domestic control, some Russian airlines are also facing international pressure: four Russian carriers have been banned from crossing the European Union’s borders. The ban will last until the companies’ service “meets European standards.” Among those affected are VIM-Avia, Dagestan Airlines, Yakutia, and Tatarstan.
Open air zone
While European airports are closing their borders, Vladivostok’s newly renovated airport has started operating an open-air regime.
This means it can serve both passenger and commercial flights from any foreign airlines, regardless of whether Russia has an agreement with them.
Analysts say the decision is likely to benefit the airport. Its renovation has cost over $1 billion.
Chinese airlines could soon be using it to reroute their flights to the US, as Beijing has imposed restrictions on direct flights between the two countries.