Words and images by Matt Cotten

At some point one had to ask, why are all these people still getting on airplanes and spreading virus around the world? Are these meetings and holiday excursions so important? During a pandemic caused by an airborne, highly transmissible, evolving, sometimes lethal virus, making activities that gather people from all parts of the world to sit in small spaces was a bit risky. I hate flying, especially after 9/11, so a couple of years without flying was a relief in some ways. But I missed the joys of staring out of a cramped window seat and marveling at the beauties of the modern airport landscape. Here are some airport drawings from over the years.

We used to fly in and out for seminars and conferences. Two days of travel and life disruption and carbon emissions for a 30-minute talk and important network building. All that travel that was considered a normal part of the scientist’s job now appears a bit ridiculous. Although we did get to enjoy a lot of airport landscape.

The last time I flew before the pandemic, early 2020, just before the lockdowns started. A scene from an efficient Dutch airport/train/bus/bicycle station. I don’t know if the artist Richard Scarry ever travelled to Amsterdam but he would have enjoyed the busy airport. 

Of course, sometimes it is a relief to get on a plane and depart from a difficult environment. I drew this in the departure lounge at Lungi Airport in Sierra Leone. The 2015 Ebola epidemic was not over, but we had tried our best to keeping viral sequencing running. After some months it was good to be leaving. 

Back in Gambia there was a struggling Nigeria/Gambian airline called Slok Air. Most of their fleet of aging 737s were grounded and you would pass them as you taxied in or out on tourist airlines flying in from Europe. Slok Air became our code word for a high-quality travel experience.

Apropos aircraft junkyards, you can visit Aero Beach in Entebbe. 
There is a large collection of destroyed Cold War-era Soviet jets, abandoned Caravelles and analog electronics. Although there is no documentation on site, these aircraft, were most likely destroyed in the Battle of Entebbe in which Tanzanian forces destroyed much of the Libyan forces defending Idi Amin. You can read more here.

Hours spent waiting for takeoff. The claustrophobia induced by an economy section window seat is partially compensated by the exciting airport scenery available from the window. Views of mishandled luggage, the efficient little luggage tractors in German airports, the striped and coded asphalt, the flashing lights of security vehicles scurrying about. So much to see and draw.

This was from a 6 hour delay at one of the minor Dutch airports. We could have just bicycled home but they refused to give a clear answer on when the flight would actually depart. I think the windsock is a nice element in the composition, kind of ties the whole thing together.

My daughter was visiting. Flight delayed, I stood outside and drew the terminal. Functional architecture: most buildings in that part of Holland are built on pillars. Even before global warming the Dutch were getting prepared for rising sea levels. 

On a last note I should mention flying does provide some gems: brief glimpses of noteworthy places, but you need to be alert, they pass quickly. From upper left: Passing over Gibraltar, ships waiting to enter Singapore harbours, the Danube flowing west as you fly out of Vienna, Hong Kong, the Saigon River, and Mount Kilimanjaro.

I am a virologist and biochemist with a long interest in painting and how ink and pigments  interact with paper and water. I have been lucky to have lived and worked in a variety of locations and I have kept a drawing diary of what I have seen through the years. See more at Ebolatent.