How to design airport washrooms for high footfall and premium hygiene
Airports are some of the busiest places in the world, with thousands of people passing through every day. In this kind of high-traffic environment, clean, safe and functional facilities are a must, especially airport washroom facilities.
Your airport bathrooms will impact the perceptions of travellers and shape how they feel about the overall quality of your airport. By ensuring you offer clean and durable facilities, you can ensure a pleasant experience for all visitors.
With that in mind, we’re going to share how to design airport washrooms that can handle the high footfall, whilst staying clean, safe and stylish at all times.
Understand passenger flow
One of the most important ways to get the most from your airport bathrooms is by understanding and planning around traffic. The use of airport facilities will spike around flight schedules, with sudden surges when several flights are set to depart or arrive at similar times.
Therefore, your washroom design must centre around passenger flow patterns, ensuring there is a sufficient number of units and distributing your facilities evenly throughout the terminals to reduce congestion.
Prioritise the layout for speed and comfort
Those in the airport are either on their way to catch a plane or ready to get home after their trip. So the last thing they want is to be waiting in long queues to use the bathroom. That’s why good washroom design must prioritise speed and minimise traffic or bottlenecks.
Some of the most effective ways to do this include separate entry and exit points to ease the flow of traffic, or unisex cubicles and family washrooms for inclusivity and flexibility.
You could also set out touchless pathways by using swing or automatic doors to prevent contamination and make accessing these spaces quicker and easier, especially for those with luggage.
Your airport bathroom layouts should also accommodate different passenger types: those travelling solo who don’t have anyone to hold their things, parents trying to manage the airport with children, elderly passengers, and those with reduced mobility. That is why accessible cubicles, baby-changing areas, and large toilet cubicles are essential.
Choose durable, low-maintenance materials
A result of high footfall is constant wear and tear, so it’s best to choose durable materials that are easy to clean and maintain.
Surfaces, such as sinks, sides and toilet cubicles must be resilient, sure, but this shouldn’t come at a price. Your bathrooms must still be stylish and visually appealing, making all users feel comfortable and welcome.
Bearing that in mind, some of the most effective materials to choose from might include:
Solid surface countertops that resist stains and water damage, such as solid grade laminate
Large-format tiles with minimal grout lines to reduce bacteria build-up
Sensor-based fixtures that reduce touchpoints made from stainless steel or antimicrobial composites
Seamless, non-slip flooring that is easy to sweep and mop (so it’s best to avoid textures or overly slippery choices like tiles)
Bright, uniform lighting made from durable fixtures that are easy to change or fix when required
Go touchless to improve hygiene
Lots of modern airport washrooms are adopting 100% touchless technology in order to elevate hygiene and efficiency. This includes automatic taps and soap dispensers, sensor-activated flushes and hand dryers, and touch-free waste bins.
These features help to minimise surface contact and reduce the spread of germs, as well as resulting in faster turnover and less queuing in these spaces.
As if that wasn't enough, these can also enhance perception, as users associate touchless design with modernity, and fewer touchpoints mean lower maintenance costs and faster cleaning cycles.
Enhance air quality and odour control
Many airports run 24/7, with flights coming and going at all hours. This makes clean washrooms crucial, and an important part of this is ventilation and odour control. The last thing you want is bad smells hanging around for hours, greeting new passengers as they move through the airport.
You can enhance air quality through powerful, continuous ventilation systems and air purifiers. You might also want to install automatic air fresheners or scent diffusers that provide a pleasant, neutral aroma (though nothing too overpowering).
Good air quality not only improves hygiene but also contributes to the perception of freshness and the comfort of users.
Think about sustainability and water efficiency
Sustainability is no longer a nice optional extra; it needs to be a key objective of your airport washrooms. To achieve greater sustainability and water efficiency, you can introduce low-flow taps and dual flush toilets that conserve water.
Lighting should be LED and sensor-activated to save on your energy usage, and you might want to install greywater recycling systems if this is something you can do.
Lastly, be sure to choose recycled or more sustainable materials wherever possible, such as bamboo or recycled toilet paper and eco-friendly cleaning products. Not only are sustainable washrooms better for the environment, but these spaces also appeal to the growing number of eco-conscious travellers.
Don’t forget about the aesthetics
Top-quality airport washrooms go beyond functionality; they must also be stylish and appealing. Travellers from all walks of life will pass through here, and they will all appreciate calm, clean and well-lit spaces amid the hustle and bustle of the airport.
It’s always great if your washrooms reflect your brand, whether that’s through colour scheme, artwork on the walls or simply being clean, modern and held to the highest standard. For example, you could add some subtle branding or art installations that reflect your airport’s cultural identity.
It’s also good to have soft, warm lighting that isn’t too harsh, especially for tired travellers after a long flight, and maybe even background music or ambient sounds that enhance the privacy and comfort of users.
Warm, natural tones and materials evoke tranquility, though you can certainly add a pop of colour if this reflects your branding. Because it’s these elements that really transform your washrooms from a necessity into a moment of calm and relief on a traveller’s journey.
And, if you’d like help designing airport bathrooms that can withstand high footfall and offer premium hygiene and comfort to all users, we can help. Get in touch with our expert team today to get started on your washroom refurbishment journey, so your facilities can impress travellers day in and day out.