Berlin's Tempelhof airport, once the world's largest, closes tomorrow following 81 years of service that witnessed the Soviet blockade, the Cold War and the falling of the Berlin wall.

British architect Norman Foster calls Tempelhof "the mother of all airports". Tempelhof, built by the Nazis as a gateway to the capital of the Third Reich, opened in 1926. It still ranks as the largest building in western Europe.

The airfield played a pivotal role during the Berlin Blockade (24 June 1948 – 11 May 1949) when it served as the Western Allies' gateway to Berlin as they airlifted in food and fuel to supply the city.

According to Bloomberg.com, a 1940s Douglas DC-3 and a Deutsche Lufthansa AG Junkers Ju- 52 of a similar age will be the last aircraft to take off from the airport shortly before midnight.

Photos:

flughafen tempelhof by fliegender via Flickr (Creative Commons).

Berlin Airlift by velodenz via Flickr (Creative Commons).

Bettina, a 48-year-old German woman, has been living at Palma de Mallorca's Son Sant Joan airport for 10 years.

According to The Guardian, Bettina possesses just three suitcases, a blanket, a pile of books and her white cat, Mumu. Airport staff refer to her as "the woman with the cat".

Asked whether she intends to return to Germany she replied, "No way. Life is better for me here."

The Guardian reports that airport authorities turn a blind eye to Bettina. "She has never bothered anyone and as this is a public building she can use the facilities - washing in the toilets or cleaning her clothes," said Marta Fernández, spokeswoman for Aena, the state company that manages Spain's airports.

Can you beat Heathrow Terminal 5's baggage handlers at their own game?

Put your luggage loading skills to the test with Terminal Panic, an online game that's sweeping through cyberspace.

You control a character - who looks uncannily like Willie Walsh, BA's chief exec - and get challenged to pick up suitcases, take them through a metal detector and place them on a conveyor belt whilst avoiding a barrage of runaway trolleys.

It's not as easy as it sounds! Let us know how if you beat 3 bags in 1 minute (the current iloho PB).

This Wednesday Singapore's Changi Airport opens its brand new terminal; eat your heart out Heathrow.

Changi Terminal 3 is set to be a high-tech wonder. Boasting innovative "see-through" design (think lots of glass and natural light to make it easier for passengers to navigate their way around) and a five-storey high "Green Wall" vertical garden (complete with waterfalls and climbing plants), Changi may well snatch Hong Kong's best airport crown in 2008.

Air passengers will also benefit from over 100 shops, including an Apple i-Store, and numerous restaurants.

"Customers will now enjoy the benefits of having access to two world-class terminals – state-of-the-art facilities, modern design, thoughtful service and of course, more choice," said Yap Kim Wah, Senior Vice President of Product and Services for Singapore Airlines.

The new terminal, which adds 28 gates, will have eight that are able to facilitate the new A380 Airbus.

Little wonder it cost 1.75 billion Singapore dollars to complete.