You’re cruising down the long, coastal highway of LEGO City. The radio is playing that funky 70s cop show theme. Suddenly, the skyline shifts. The skyscrapers of Bright Lights Plaza fade away, and you see the massive hangars. The LEGO City Undercover airport—officially known as LEGO City Airport—is more than just a place to hijack a plane. It’s a massive, sprawling playground that represents everything the developers at TT Fusion got right back in 2013. Honestly, even after the remastered versions hit the PS4 and Switch, this area still feels like the peak of open-world LEGO design.
It’s huge.
Most people just breeze through the airport during the main story missions. You chase a guy, you jump on a plane, you move on. But if you do that, you're basically missing half the fun. The airport isn't just a backdrop; it’s a mechanical hub. It’s where the game’s scale finally clicks. When you first step onto that tarmac as Chase McCain, the sense of verticality is staggering. You aren't just running around; you’re climbing control towers and navigating rooftop obstacle courses that would make a parkour athlete sweat.
The Layout Most Players Miss
The LEGO City Undercover airport is located in the northern sector of the map. It’s bordered by the Uptown district and the sea. If you look at it on the map, it seems like a giant grey slab, but once you’re on the ground, the complexity is wild. There’s the terminal itself, the hangars, the landing strips, and a massive underground parking structure that most people ignore.
Why does this matter? Because of the bricks.
If you’re trying to hit that 100% completion mark, the airport is a goldmine. There are Super Blocks hidden in places that require actual brainpower to reach. You’ve got to use the Astronaut disguise to teleport, the Fireman disguise to put out literal fires on the runway, and the Construction Worker to drill through the floor. It’s a microcosm of the whole game's mechanics. You can't just walk in and take everything. You have to earn it.
The terminal building is a masterpiece of plastic architecture. It’s got check-in desks, security gates (where Chase can cause absolute chaos), and even a small café. It feels lived-in. Minifigures are constantly wandering around with luggage, looking frustrated or lost. It’s that attention to detail that makes the LEGO City Undercover airport feel less like a level and more like a real place.
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Vehicles and the Tarmac Chaos
Let's talk about the planes. Everyone wants to fly. In most LEGO games, flying is a bit janky. In LEGO City Undercover, it’s still a bit janky, but in a fun, arcade-like way. The airport is the only place where you can consistently find the bigger birds.
Once you unlock the Pilot's license and the various helipads, the airport becomes your primary fast-travel hub. But the real joy is the ground vehicles. The airport tugs, the fuel trucks, the luggage carts—they all have unique handling. Have you ever tried to win a police chase in a luggage carrier? It’s miserable. It’s slow. It’s hilarious.
The runway is also the best place in the game to test out the supercars you buy at the police station. If you want to see exactly how fast the "Drakonas" or the "Relocator" can actually go without hitting a pedestrian or a lamp post, this is where you do it. Just straight, flat asphalt. It’s the unofficial drag strip of LEGO City.
Secrets in the Hangars
Most players enter a hangar, grab the obvious collectible, and leave. Big mistake.
Hangars in the LEGO City Undercover airport are often multi-layered puzzles. You might find a color swapper hidden behind a crate that lets you paint a nearby wall, which then opens a secret door to a Gold Brick. There’s one specific hangar that requires the Rex Fury character—or at least a character with the "Strong" ability—to pull open heavy doors. If you’re playing the game for the first time, you’ll see these and feel that itch of curiosity. That’s the "Metroidvania" element of the game coming through. You see the prize, but you know you aren't "grown up" enough yet to take it.
Why the Airport Mission is a Comedy Peak
The writing in this game is legendary for its movie references. The airport mission is no different. We’re talking parodies of The Shawshank Redemption, The Matrix, and basically every 80s action flick ever made.
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When Chase has to go undercover to stop a gang at the airport, the dialogue is snappy. It doesn't take itself seriously. The NPCs (Non-Playable Characters) at the airport have some of the best idle lines in the game. One guy is complaining about his lost luggage, while another is just excited to see a "real-life hero" who is currently smashing a trash can for three studs.
The mission "The Best Laid Plans" takes you through the guts of the airport. It’s a great example of how the developers used the environment. You aren't just running down a corridor; you’re moving through baggage carousels and avoiding giant mechanical arms. It’s a platforming challenge disguised as a heist.
Technical Reality: Wii U vs. The World
It’s worth noting that the LEGO City Undercover airport looked a bit different depending on when you played it. On the original Wii U version, the loading times to get into certain areas were... well, they were long enough to go make a sandwich. The draw distance was also a bit shaky. You’d be flying a plane and a hangar would just "pop" into existence.
On the newer versions—PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Switch—the airport is glorious. The lighting hits the plastic surfaces and actually makes them look like real ABS plastic. The reflections on the hangar floors are genuinely impressive for a game about toy bricks. If you haven't been back to the airport since the 2013 Wii U launch, the visual upgrade alone is worth the trip. It feels like a high-budget animated movie.
Navigating the Airport Disguise Puzzles
To really "beat" the airport, you need the right tools. You shouldn't even bother trying to clear the area until you have at least six of the eight main disguises.
- The Astronaut: Essential. There are space crates and teleporters all over the rooftops.
- The Robber: You’ll need the crowbar for the back offices.
- The Farmer: There are several pots that require the watering can to grow plants into ladders.
- The Miner: Look for silver boulders near the perimeter fence.
There’s a specific "Free Run" event at the airport that is arguably one of the toughest in the game. It requires you to jump between shipping containers, climb ladders, and slide down wires. It’s the ultimate test of the game’s movement mechanics. If you mess up a single jump, you fall to the tarmac and have to start all the way back at the terminal entrance. It’s frustrating. It’s brilliant.
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Actionable Tips for Dominating the Airport
If you’re staring at the airport right now and wondering how to get that 100% notification, here is exactly what you need to do.
First, stop looking for the Gold Bricks on the ground. Most of them are in the air. Look for the blue "Super Build" icons. There’s a massive Super Build in the airport area that requires a huge amount of bricks—usually 30,000 or more. Building this usually unlocks a vehicle or a major shortcut.
Second, check the water. The airport is right on the coast. There are often hidden bricks tucked under the piers or behind the sea walls that you can only see if you’re swimming or using a boat.
Third, use the "Data Scan" feature. It’s the most underrated tool in Chase McCain’s arsenal. Stand in the middle of the runway, pull up your scanner, and rotate 360 degrees. You’ll see icons popping up through the walls of the hangars and the terminal. It saves you hours of aimless wandering.
Fourth, don't forget the coffee breaks. There are several coffee stations around the airport. Drinking from all of them in the district usually unlocks a hidden character or a brick. It's a small thing, but it's part of the charm.
The LEGO City Undercover airport remains a masterclass in level design because it rewards curiosity. It’s not just a waypoint between missions. It’s a dense, vertical puzzle box that utilizes every single mechanic the game throws at you. Whether you’re a completionist looking for every last stud or just someone who wants to fly a plane into a giant plastic doughnut, the airport is the place to do it.
Go to the terminal. Find the highest point on the roof. Look out over the city. You’ll see why this game, and this specific location, still holds up years later. The scale is just right, the jokes still land, and the plastic world feels remarkably alive.
Next Steps for Players:
- Unlock the Pilot Disguise: Complete Chapter 10 of the main story to ensure you have the full toolkit needed for airport exploration.
- Collect 50,000 Super Bricks: You will need a massive reserve of bricks to complete the "Call-in Point" Super Builds scattered around the runways.
- Locate the "Rex Fury" Crate: Search the northernmost hangar for a heavy crate that only Rex can open; it contains one of the rarest vehicle tokens in the district.
- Trigger the Free Run: Find the glowing blue start gate near the main terminal entrance to begin the district's parkour challenge.