This paper presents the most important issues and premises for the targeted development of airport-related areas, with particular emphasis on the planned implementation of a so-called airport city in the immediate vicinity of an airport. The investigation sought to answer questions about how airports perform city- and region-forming functions, to systematize the existing concepts of the implementation of airport cities based on the relevant literature, and to present the principles of proper design of airport-related zones. Key premises for the development of airport cities and benefits for their users are also discussed. Detailed considerations about Gdańsk Airport provide an example of the application of a qualitative method in an indivi...