Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport: history and operations

Hartsfield-Jackson Airport

The advent of aviation has changed the way the world operates. Movement of people, goods and products has, as a result, become more convenient and easy. Quick, safe, easy and efficient air transportation has also helped spawn a whole range of global trade and commerce. This has helped in creating a global environment that is separated by mere hours from any place on earth. The aviation industry is complex. It requires a wide variety of resources and logistics to keep it running efficiently. There are tremendous demands on all the companies involved to maintain these logistics. From the ground staff at airports, to the maintenance and service personnel of aircrafts, all place an important role in this industry.

The most significant and tangible resource of this industry is airport facility. In the U.S., the Federal Aviation Administration is responsible for the certification, maintenance and operation of all airports. The U.S. has the largest number of airports in the world -- approximately 14,695. (Factbook 2002) the task of building a new airport and maintaining an existing one is a challenge. This paper will track the history of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta -- one of the worlds's largest and busiest -- and identify some of the problems and issues faced with the managing and operating this facility.

History of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta

In 1925, Mayor Walter a. Sims signed a five-year lease on an abandoned race tack of Candler Speedway's 287 acres and converted it into an airport named Candler Field. (Hartsfield-Jackson 2007) Charles Lindbergh, the first solo pilot in history to fly nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean landed his plane, the Spirit of St. Louis, in 1927, at the Atlanta airport. In 1929, the city of Atlanta paid $94,400 for the land on which the airport was built. The name was changed to Atlanta Municipal Airport. Many major airlines started serving the new Atlanta airport and Delta Airlines made this airport its hub in 1934 and continues to do so even today. In addition, AirTran, Delta Connections and Atlantic Southeast Airlines also use this airport as a hub. By 1939, the airport became a fully functional entity with its own control tower and the onset of the First World War also made it become a significant port of entry/exit for the Southern U.S., with more than a million people passing through the airport in 1948.

Not soon after, the air traffic congestion required that the existing airport be upgraded and enlarged to accommodate the higher traffic volume and bigger planes. In 1961, the upgrade was commenced at a cost of $21 million. Even so, within a short period of time, the airport was found to be congested back again. The airport changed it names a number of times during the period. Finally, in 1971, the airport was named William B. Hartsfield Atlanta Airport after the long serving and well respected mayor who saw aviation as the future for Atlanta. (Williams 2002)

Later, in the seventies, when international flights started operating from the airport it was called William B. Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport. Again, in 1972, a renovation and upgrade program was commenced. By 1980, the Atlanta International airport was the largest airport in the world.

The International Air Transport Association airport (IATA) code for the airport is ATL. At present, the total airport area is approximately 4,700 acres and the terminal is about 130 acres. The airport has also been brought up to code as per the disability act.

By 2000, it was observed that Hartsfield had become one of the busiest international airports of the world, with respect to passenger traffic and takeoff/landings. Plans for constant improvements continue to this day. In 2003, the airport was again renamed as Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport honoring another famous Atlanta mayor Maynard H. Jackson. Following 9/11, security concerns have also encouraged further modifications and upgrades. In 2004, a $215 million Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Baggage Security Screening Project was undertaken to handle the new security requirements for air travel. Adequate arrangements are also being made to handle concerns and issues of passenger safety and evacuation should there be a threat within the airport.

Runways and Concourses

The terminal has five concourses: T, a, B, C, D, and E (the international concourse).

The airport has 151 domestic gates and 28 international gates. "There are five parallel runways in an east-west configuration (Hartsfield-Jackson 2007):

9R-27L = 9,000 feet long (2,743 meters). Category III

9L-27R = 11,889 feet long (3,624 meters). Category I

8R-26L = 10,000 feet long (3,048 meters). Category II

8L-26R = 9,000 feet long (2,743 meters). Category III

10-28 = 9,000 feet long (2,743 meters) Category II"

The different categories of runways allows for landing all categories of aircrafts. Category I allows for 1,800 feet to 2,400 feet of visibility, Category II allows for 1,800 feet to 2,400 feet of visibility and Category III for 700 feet of visibility. (Jaykin 2008) These categories are based on the Instrument Landing System (ILS) which is an instrument approach system that helps aircrafts land and takeoff using radio signals in conditions of reduced visibility. This ensures that the airport is operational under most climatic conditions, except the most extreme. The airport is also supported by a new control tower that allows for visibility of all landing strips and is the highest control tower in the U.S. (398 feet). Additionally, significant new developments that are being undertaken that will be discussed in detail later in this report.

Operational features

In addition to the passenger facilities offered, the airport is also equipped with state of the art cargo bays and refueling facilities. This allows for fast loading and discharge of cargo as well as shorter turn around times for aircrafts. "The total on-airport air cargo warehouse space measures two million square feet. The airport also has 1.5 million square feet (135,000 square meters) of cargo handling space" (Hartsfield-Jackson 2007) the airport is also a designated a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Port of Entry, making it a very highly trafficked airport for agricultural products. The Atlanta Perishables Complex, one of the largest facilities for processing, handling and storing perishable products is located with the airport complex making the airport the first choice for many international shipments of flowers, fruits and vegetables. The USDA has also approved this facility for the transportation of agricultural products.

The airport also has extensive parking facilities for passengers traveling as well as numerous car rental agencies and ground transportation facilities. Door-to-door shuttle services are also available from the airport and the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) also offers services to the terminal.

Economic Impact

There are, currently, 32 passenger airlines and 19 cargo airlines that use the Hartsfield-Jackson airport. The 2006 statistics as posted by the airport authorities on the official website offer the following details.

Passengers Cargo in Metro Tons

Freight/Express/Mail Aircraft Operations

Landings and Takeoffs

Domestic

International

Transit

The airport is the largest employer in the State of Georgia, with a payroll of $2.4 billion. Approximately 56,000 individuals are employed by the airport either directly or through contracts agencies. It is estimated that the direct and indirect impact of the airport is $5.6 billion. In turn, "the annual, regional economic impact of the Airport is more than $23.5 billion. Airport revenue was $289,342,426 (unaudited) derived from landing fees, concession revenues, parking fees and building and land rentals. In addition, the Airport received $165,116,277 from passenger facility charges (PFC's)." (Hartsfield-Jackson 2007)

The location of Atlanta with respect to the rest of the country also makes it an ideal choice for cargo movement. Major cities such as Chicago are closer to Atlanta than the other major Northeast airports of New York and New Jersey. In addition, the Atlanta area is also a truck drive for many locations in the Southeast seaboard section of the U.S. which accounts for a major section of the population. Proximity to major highways also ensures that the movement of goods is quick. As such, major national and international freight forwarders have their operations in and around Atlanta.

The 9/11 terrorist attacks impacted airlines significantly, with fewer travelers using air transportation in the following year. The last period when airlines sustained the maximum loss was during the gulf war. The airline industry lost $4.8 billions in 1992. It took about a year for the airline to recover from this depression and get to the pre-war traffic levels. The recovery rate is not been observed as yet in the case of the market downturn due to 9/11. Many American airlines are reporting their worst financial losses from 2001-2005. As passengers were afraid to fly, the airline industry reduced the number of flights. It also put a hold on some of the new aircraft purchases. Reduced flights also decreased the number if supporting businesses like aircraft service businesses. In turn, many gates were unoccupied at terminal and airports could not collect revenue on these vacant structures.

Managing costs has therefore become very important for airport operators. Mario Diaz, the Deputy Aviation General Manager of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in 2003 during a speech stated that the airport "is one of the most efficient airports in the U.S. In fact, one measure of our efficiency is that we have one of the lowest landing fees of any major U.S. airport: $0.45 per 1,000 pounds of landing weight. Another efficiency metric is the cost per enplaned passenger. Presently at Hartsfield-Jackson the cost is $2.55. Of all major hub airports, only Charlotte Douglas has a lower cost per enplaned passenger than Atlanta." (Diaz 2007)

Developments and Future plans

Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport will have to constantly make improvements to ensure that it is a strong player in the field of passenger and cargo transportation. Realizing the need for expansion, in 1999, a plan for developing a fifth runway was undertaken which became operational in 2006. In addition, a new terminal on the east side of the airport is also being undertaken, which is expected to be completed in 2011. A new terminal with 70 gates on the south side is also planned.

Consolidated Rental Car (CONRAC) facility is also expected to be completed in 2009 and all the rental car agencies will be moved to this location. An automated people- mover will connect the facility to the airport and to the Gateway Center of the Georgia International Convention Center.

Conclusion

Progress on Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport since its inception and creation has demonstrated aptly that the facility has the capability to change and evolve to manage the constantly new environment that it faces. Routine and periodic upgrades have ensured that the airport has retained the status at the busiest airport in the U.S. The location of the airport and the development of trade and economic interest with the region have helped the airport improve its passenger and cargo flow over the years. Efficiency and effective use of science and technology has also ensured that all type of aircrafts can be accommodated within the airport. Space management both for passengers and cargo has ensured that requirements have always stayed ahead of the demand. The public has also been assured that the airport has taken all the necessary measure to ensure that noise and air pollution are kept to a minimum through proactive measure and studies.

With air travel only expected to increase in the future, all improvements and modification made to airports will only enhance and aid the economic growth and success of the Atlanta region. As global trade and commerce is also is linked to air travel, travelers are also expecting more from the facilities such as airports to serve them better comforts and amenities.