How Big Is Hartsfield Jackson Airport
ATL has been one of the world's busiest airports since 1998.
Delta Air Lines, based in Atlanta, operates 1,000 daily flights to 225 destinations worldwide.
ATL offers excellent connectivity to Atlanta with public transport, ample parking, and 150 car rental options.
Located just 10 miles from downtown Atlanta, Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is one of the world's busiest airports. Named after the city's former mayors, William B. Hartsfield and Maynard Jackson, the airport encompasses 4,700 acres (19 square kilometers) and has five runways.
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Since 1998, the airport has continuously been voted one of the world's busiest airports by passenger traffic, with last year, the airport welcoming more than 104.6 million passengers.
Atlanta is the home of Skyteam member Delta Air Lines, where the carrier operates over 1,000 flights a day to its robust network of 225 domestic and international destinations. This is the world's largest airline hub. Delta's corporate headquarters and technical operations center are also located by the airport.
A bit of history
Formally opened on September 15th, 1926, the now 97-year-old airport is approaching its 100th birthday. Initially a racetrack named 'The Atlanta Speedway,' the airport was leased rent-free in 1925 by the then mayor Walter Sims, who was keen to develop the grounds into an airfield. Florida Airways operated the airport's first flight to Jackson Ville, Florida, on September 26th, 1926.
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Busy from the get-go
Since its inception, the airport has seen increasing demand. By the end of 1930, Atlanta had surpassed many other airports in the United States and sat only behind New York and Chicago. By 1957, the airport had claimed they were the busiest in the country, with up to two million passengers passing through the terminal between noon and 14:00 daily.
Today, ATL is now spread over two terminals and seven concourses. Up to 192 gates are available each day for arriving and departing flights. Domestic flights are operated from the Domestic Terminal on the west side of the airport grounds. At the same time, the Maynard H Jackson Jr International Terminal remains on the east side. The two are connected by a Transportation Mall, a pedestrian tunnel that includes moving walkways, and the Plane Train, an automated people mover that operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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Seven concourses
Spread across the two terminals are seven concourses. Concourse F remains the only concourse that welcomes the Airbus A380 and is the home for all non-Delta international arrivals and departures. Gate details as below:
Runways
With up to five active runways, all aligned in an east-west direction, its longest is 12,390 feet long; this keeps the airport humming and alive with operations. Multiple flights can arrive and depart from ATL simultaneously. These include:
8L/26R
9,000 ft long (2,743 m)
Surface: Concrete
8R/26L
9,999 ft long (3,048m)
Surface: Concrete
9L/27R
12,390 ft long (3,776m)
Surface: Concrete
9R/27L
9,000 ft long (2,743m)
Surface: Concrete
10/28
9,000 ft long (2,743m)
Surface: Concrete
Well connected to the city of Atlanta
The airport is located in Clayton County and is connected directly to the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), a terminus on the Red and Gold lines. Terminating directly at the Domestic Terminal, you can jump on the Plane Train if you're heading internationally.
Not only is public transport readily available, but up to 30,000 car parking spots are on offer. If you're renting a car, there are more than 150 different providers, which stretch as far as limousine, car rental, or shuttle bus companies.
Get all the latest aviation news for North America here
Operations
Before you even take off, you can shop or dine in over 200 concession outlets scattered throughout the airport, both airside and landside. And while you're tucking into a meal, you can look out the window at the nearly 90-100 aircraft departing and arriving per hour on one of the airport's various runways. Its benefit of five means that multiple aircraft can safely arrive and depart without concern that their flight paths will cross.
Two air traffic controllers observe and instruct incoming or departing aircraft for each pair of runways. These ATCs work for the Federal Aviation Administration and liaise with ground control. They are responsible for steering the planes between gates, terminals, and runways. Those aircraft not quite in the airport vicinity are controlled by TRACON, Terminal Radar Control, located near Peachtree City.
Popular routes and destinations
Orlando, Florida, is the airport's busiest domestic route, with 1.46 million passengers flying between the cities in 2023. The next closest are Fort Lauderdale, New York La Guardia, Miami, and Tampa, which all crush the million-passenger mark. Internationally, popular routes include Cancun, Amsterdam, Paris, and London Heathrow, all served by multiple carriers.
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According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Delta demands a 72.45% market share of all operations in Atlanta, followed by Southwest with 9.01%, Spirit at 4.47%, and Frontier at 3.63% in the calendar year of 2023. All other operations comprise less than 10% of the airport's overall flights. Regarding on-time performance, in 2023, the airport ranked 14th in the country, with 78% of flights departing on time or fifth for arriving flights, with 82% of aircraft touching down in ATL on schedule.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport IATA/ICAO Code: ATL/KATL Country: United States CEO: Balram Bheodari Passenger Count : 75,704,760 (2021) Runways : 8L/26R - 2743m (9,000 ft) |8R/26L - 3048m (9,999 ft) |9L/27R - 3776m (12,390 ft) |9R/27L - 2743 m (9,000 ft) |10/28 - 2743 m (9,000 ft) Terminals: Main Terminal | Domestic Terminal