New Terminal Fuels Latest Growth Stage at Hartsfield Airport
Published Nov 03, 2008
The airport is a major Clayton County employer.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is gearing up for a major new terminal expansion and upgrades to its people mover and parking functions.
Construction has begun on the Maynard H. Jackson Jr. International Terminal, with foundation work under way to support that facility and an extension of the airport’s people mover system.
The new international terminal is slated to begin serving passengers in 2010, says Albert Snedeker, public relations manager for the airport and City of Atlanta Department of Aviation.
In addition to the hundreds of construction and ancillary jobs the $1.6 billion terminal construction will create, the Hartsfield expansion and related projects will boost employment numbers in Clayton County and surrounding communities.
“Most of the new jobs which will arise from the completed international terminal will be created by the new concessions, housekeeping, parking and additional airline needs,” Snedeker says.
The airport itself will be expanding its employment base, adding positions in operations, security and other areas. Hiring will start at some point in 2009, depending on the positions needed and the level of training required.
Outside the facility, Snedeker notes, “job creation has many facets. These new vendor/contractors will also require support companies, which may include office supply companies, liquor distributors, paper goods distributors, fresh produce distributors, etc. The list goes on and on.”
A direct connection to the nearby Georgia International Convention Center and Consolidated Rent-A-Car Facility, or CONRAC, is the impetus behind the expanded people mover, another major construction project.
Hartsfield sees more than 2 million auto-rental transactions a year, creating need for a slightly offsite but still convenient facility.
When completed in late 2009, CONRAC will house all airport car-rental companies and their operations, including customer service, administration, parking, fueling and maintenance. The 67.5-acre facility will connect to the airport via the people mover, which can move more than 10,000 passengers an hour.
All told, the massive new projects will not only make the airport busier, but will positively affect an already impressive bottom line.
Hartsfield-Jackson’s economic impact on the region is almost $23.5 billion annually and is projected to reach $32 billion by 2015.
“Our most recent economic impact study estimates that the airport is responsible for almost 500,000 jobs within our region,” Snedeker says. “In 2007 alone, Hartsfield-Jackson accommodated more than 89 million passengers, and this is projected to increase to approximately 121 million passengers by the year 2015.”
Story by Joe Morris
Photo by Ian Curcio
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