Francis International Airport (3D Universe)



Francis International Airport (FIA) is an airport situated in the GTA III Era rendition of Liberty City, specifically in southern Shoreside Vale. The airport had made frequent appearances where Liberty City is used as a primary or secondary setting, including Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, as well as a cameo in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Description
The official website of GTA III offers a brief insight into the airport's history and facilities:

"''Liberty City's Gateway To The World. Where we meet new friends and prodigal sons. Francis International has proudly served all of Liberty City's transportation needs since 1953. For the executive traveler, relax in our business class lounge, or enjoy a pre-flight drink in DODO'S, our cocktail lounge. With hundreds of shops and services, Francis International is airport to the stars. 100's of national and international destinations served including: London, San Andreas, Vice City, Miami, Bogota, Amsterdam, Bangkok, Toronto, Leith and Tokyo. Fares Starting as Low as $69 Each Way."

FIA does not have a single inspiration for its design, incorporating an original terminal design (the frontal terminal building is a largely unadorned, blocky structure), as well as featuring an extension similar to Los Angeles International's Theme Building. Francis International is also connected to the Liberty City Subway, via a stop located southeast of the main terminal and an adjoining square that features a sculpture bearing the following inscription: "For those who fought for freedom 1936".

A fire station is situated near the entrance to the rear of the airport, as such, a Fire Truck is always available from there. Opposite is a car park which has various spawned cars. The infamous half-winged Dodo is also in one of the hangars and next to a helipad, notorious for it's level of skill required of the player to actually fly it.

The airport's interior makes a brief appearance in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, when it is featured during the first cutscene of the game. While the interior is found to be situated in the Hidden Interiors Universe, the location also comes with an unused exterior of the airport with a roadway, appearing to resemble the airport's exterior in Grand Theft Auto III.

The airport also exists in Grand Theft Auto Advance, altrough most of it, including the runways, isn´t reachable by the player. Besides that, the player can still see (And get near) the non-enterable planes around the airport, most of them low textured planes similiar to the Boeing 747. There are also other small red planes around the airport resembling the Dodo.

Trivia

 * The square's statue dons a traffic cone on its head in GTA III. The only way to get it off is to a launch an RPG at the head, and the cone will blow up. However, it will reappear the next time you return to the statue.
 * The pre-flight bar is called DODO's, a reference to the half-winged Dodo parked in the airports runway.
 * The FIA's main terminal is reused in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories in the form of the northern extension for the Escobar International Airport in Vice City.
 * The interior of the airport was only seen in GTA:San Andreas at the starting cutscene.

External link

 * Official Francis International Airport website (GTA III)