IATA Airport Code: ATL
Location: 6000 N. Terminal Pkwy, Atlanta, Georgia
Year Opened: Built and opened in 1926. It was originally named Candler Field; it was renamed Atlanta Municipal Airport in 1942, William B. Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport in 1971, and finally, Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport in 2003.
Size: The airport covers 4,700 acres with five parallel runways. It has 192 gates of which 152 are domestic and 40 international. It is the world’s busiest commercial airport and serves nearly 104 million passengers per year.
Transportation: Taxis, limos, shuttle buses, hotel courtesy vehicles, MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) are available. Shared-Ride Van Service goes to and from Downtown, Midtown and Buckhead. The ATL SkyTrain, an automated people mover system, connects the Rental Car Center with 13 rental car operations open 24/7, to parking, Georgia Int’l. CC, and the Atlanta Airport Gateway hotels (Marriott, SpringHill Suites & Renaissance). Greyhound Flightlink also goes to selected cities and states.
Fun Facts: It was built on a closed auto racetrack owned by former mayor and founder of the Coca-Cola company, Asa Candler. As part of the sales deal it was initially named for him. Three Atlanta mayors have been namesakes for the Airport.
In October of 1940, the U.S. government declared it a military airfield and the U.S. Army Air Forces operated Atlanta Army Airfield jointly with Candler Field. The Air Force used it primarily to service combat aircraft.
The terminals and concourses are connected by the Transportation Mall, a pedestrian tunnel with a series of moving walkways and The Plane Train, an automated people mover.
A 20-year master plan was finalized in 2016 which includes, among its many improvements, modernization of the existing terminals, A new hotel, travel plaza, mixed use commercial complex and the addition of a sixth runway.
This story originally appeared in the May/June issue of Exhibit City News, p. 10-11. For original layout, visit https://issuu.com/exhibitcitynews/docs/ecnflipbook_mayjune_2019_web
