Why Atlanta Matters To Air Cargo

     In 2006 despite some rumblings elsewhere that maybe it might be topped, Hartsfield Jackson International Airport in Atlanta once again was USA’s number one busiest airport for the second year in a row, logging 976,307 flights during the year.
     Ben DeCosta has been the general manager of the gateway that has become America’s busiest, and many believe far and away best airport, since June 1998.
     Today busy at work overseeing a $5 billion, 10-year capital improvement project, HJIA is a blueprint for growth.
     Thoughtful and quiet spoken by nature, if you ask Mr. DeCosta why in a world of airports he thinks HJIA is important for air cargo, the answer is direct and concise:
     “The addition of the fifth runway and our Air Cargo Master Plan guarantee Atlanta’s continued success as world leader in both passenger and cargo movements.
     “During the last couple of years Hartsfield-Jackson has expanded and improved its cargo operations as demonstrated by an impressive 12% percent increase in cargo the last year alone.
     “HJIA is now moving goods as rapidly and efficiently as it does passengers.
     “Metro Atlanta’s largest employer, Delta Air Lines, is headquartered in Atlanta, which is its largest hub city.
     “More than 40 additional domestic and global airlines ship passengers, cargo, or both to and from Atlanta via Hartsfield-Jackson.
     “More than 80 percent of the United States population market is within a two-hour flight of Atlanta; nearly 100 percent within four hours.
     “Nearly 200 domestic and international cities are served by a total of more than 2,400 flights from Hartsfield-Jackson on an average day – a large majority of these flights being direct non-stop service to more than 180 destinations.
     “More than 9,000 flights leave Atlanta weekly for 184 destinations in 29 countries.
     “In USA, only Atlanta, Chicago, and Los Angeles airports are both top 10 U.S. passenger and cargo airports.
     “Efficient and economical; Atlanta offers one of the lowest landing fees of all major U.S. airports.
     “Moreover Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is one of the world’s leading air freight locations.
     “More than 80 percent of the U.S. population is within a day or so by interstate trucking, and two of the nation’s largest railways have major freight facilities nearby.
     “Cargo service to Asia and to other regions of the world has expanded and will continue to grow in 2007.
     “Hartsfield-Jackson’s cargo facilities are located within the North, South and Midfield Cargo complexes.
     “Each offers excellent dockside access to and from interstates I-75, I-85 and I-285 via the airport’s Loop Road.
     “The opening a few years ago of Hartsfield-Jackson’s 300,000-square-foot South Cargo Complex brings the airport’s total handling capacity to more than 1.5 million square feet.
     “The North and South cargo complexes maintain independent refueling and support systems, allowing quick turnaround for cargo operators.
     “More than 100 licensed customs brokers and 200 domestic and international freight forwarders offer competitive services at Hartsfield-Jackson.
     “Shippers of air-freighted perishables receive expedient and efficient service at Hartsfield-Jackson’s Perishables center.
     “The Atlanta Perishables Center is totally climate-controlled and features on-site distribution and transport capabilities, USDA inspection services and a fumigation chamber.
     “Cargo shipments at Hartsfield-Jackson are projected to double from a baseline level in 1995 of 780,000 metric tons to more than 1.5 million metric tons by 2015.
     “We believe that recent improvements to the airport’s cargo operations will speed this projected cargo expansion.”
Geoffrey