Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport new international terminal opens

US' Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport officially opened (16-May-2012) the Maynard H Jackson Jr international terminal on 16-May-2012. The first departure from the 1.2 million sqft facility was Delta Air Lines Flight 295 to Tokyo, while passengers on Delta Flight 177 from Dublin were the first to arrive at the international terminal's 12-gate Concourse F. The opening of the international terminal is timed to meet the growing demand for international air service in Atlanta. 2011 was a record year, with Hartsfield-Jackson hosting nearly 9.9 million international passengers. The FAA has forecast international passenger traffic will increase by more than 30% by 2015 to 13 million. Planning, design and construction of the international terminal created about 3000 jobs. Nearly 1000 jobs are expected to be created to operate and maintain the facility. The international terminal connects with the existing international concourse, creating a 40-gate air travel complex. Meanwhile, more than 3500 parking spaces are available while the ticketing hall features 64 self-service check-in kiosks and 80 ticketing counters. Meanwhile, Bombardier Transportation launched (16-May-2012) its newly extended Bombardier Innovia APM 100 automated people mover (APM) system at the airport. Bombardier was awarded the turnkey system contract to extend the transit system to the new international terminal in Dec-2007. [more - original PR] [more - original PR - Bombardier Transport]