International connections represent the path to the future for Hartsfield- Jackson Atlanta (ATL) International Airport. Th e airport is already the world’s busiest, serving more than 89 million passengers annually and connected by 34 passenger and 16 cargo airlines.
To meet future demand, ATL is undergoing US$6 billion-plus in capital improvements, which includes a new 12-gate international passenger terminal that is expected to open by November 2011.
Dan Molloy, ATL assistant general manager, estimates that the international passenger segment at Hartsfield-Jackson will increase from about 9 million passengers a year to 13 million by 2015. “Atlanta is emerging as a major international destination,” Molloy says.
Hub focus
This is good news for carriers such as Delta Air Lines that off er space for cargo in their belly holds. Atlanta is a hub for Delta, which is the dominant cargo carrier at ATL.
The new terminal coincides with Delta’s push to increase its international network. This year the carrier has been right-sizing its network by placing more emphasis on international service and eliminating a significant percentage of domestic capacity that indicate low yield and load weaknesses.
Among Delta’s new offerings this year is non-stop service to Shanghai, China, which commenced in April. The slowing economy, however, resulted in Delta decreasing its number of flights between Atlanta and Shanghai from 14 to 10. Delta executives expect to ramp up the service again, once market conditions improve.
To strengthen its Latin America connections, in July Delta announced a new seasonal non-stop flight between ATL and Sao Paulo’s Guarulhos Airport in Brazil, starting 20 December 2008. The three-times weekly frequency will complement Delta’s year-round, nightly nonstop service to Sao Paulo from Atlanta.
In addition, Delta will also commence new flights between Atlanta and Tegucigalpa, Honduras on 18 December and Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic on 20 December. For cargo, these are important markets given CAFTA-DR, the recent free trade agreement between Central America, the Dominican Republic and the United States.
Currently, Latin America and the Caribbean offer the biggest growth opportunity for Delta. These connections are important to manufacturers such as those involved in electronics and textiles that operate twin-factories in Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia.
They are also critical for solidifying ATL as a transit point for shipments from Asia to Latin America. Atlanta off ers additional benefits since 80 per cent of US consumers can be accessed by truck within one day’s drive.
Not surprising, more than 100 motor carriers provide expedited ground transportation from Atlanta. Unlike Miami International Airport (MIA), which has a stronghold in the Latin American market, Atlanta’s geographic position puts it significantly closer to Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and the Washington, DC metropolitan area.
Trans-Atlantic business also factors in significantly for ATL and Delta. In June, Delta added non-stop service from ATL to Stockholm, London- Heathrow, and Paris, in cooperation with joint-venture partner Air France.
On August 7, the carrier also announced a new daily nonstop flight between ATL and Mumbai, India, utilising 777-200LR aircraft. The service will commence 1 November.
“The size and scope of Delta’s operations at our Atlanta hub are best suited for the capacity of the 777-200LR in terms of cargo and passenger lift,” says Glen Hauenstein, executive vice president of network and revenue management.
“Serving Mumbai from Atlanta will allow us to optimise the route thanks to the approximately 150 US destinations to which Mumbai customers will be able to connect, as well as the more than 30 easy connections available to and from Latin America and the Caribbean.”
The airline will also commence service to Kuwait City from ATL, eff ective 7 November.
Other carriers operating at ATL are also on the expansion track. In late August 2007, Cathay Pacific Airways commenced daily freight flights to Atlanta. The carrier is regarded as one of the fastest-growing cargo carriers at ATL. In July 2007, the carrier had increased its four Atlanta freighter flights per week to six, and then to daily service one month later.
Cargo facilities
Dovetailing with ATL¡¯s Latin American connections is the Atlanta Perishables Centre. Here shippers of air-freighted perishables receive expedient and efficient service. The Centre is totally climate-controlled and features on-site distribution and transport capabilities, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspection services and a fumigation chamber.
According to the Aviation Department, ATL is the only airport in the US Southeast approved by the USDA to apply cold treatment, an environmentally safe alternative to methyl bromide.
ATL maintains more than 1.5 million square feet (135,000 square meters) of cargo handling space in the North, South and Midfield Cargo Complexes. Each complex offers dockside access to key Interstate highways.
With cargo volumes reaching 715,359 tonnes for 2007, 398,774 tonnes of which is international, shippers have expressed concern that the current cargo facilities are not sufficient to handle future increases in cargo volumes. Airport officials indicate, however, that a fourth cargo building is being considered that could add eight cargo positions in 255,000 square feet of space. Plans for the facility, however, could not be confirmed.
