A FIFTH RUNWAY WILL ALLOW HARTSFIELD ATLANTA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO HANDLE MORE INTERNATIONAL ROUTES AND ATTRACT MORE INTERNATIONAL COMPANIES TO ATLANTA, SAID MIGUEL SOUTHWELL, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AT HARTSFIELD, DURING A MEETING SEPT. 10 OF THE METRO ATLANTA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE’S INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL.
SMALLER AND SLOWER COMMUTER PLANES WILL BE DIVERTED TO THE FIFTH RUNWAY, ENABLING THE AIRPORT TO HANDLE MORE COMMERCIAL FLIGHTS ON THE OTHER RUNWAYS, SAID MR. SOUTHWELL. MONEY TO BUY LAND FOR THE PROJECT WILL PROBABLY COME FROM A $3 PASSENGER FACILITY CHARGE THAT SHOULD BE IN PLACE BY MAY, 1997, HE ADDED.
HARTSFIELD IS WORKING CLOSELY WITH ATLANTA-BASED DELTA AIR LINES, THE METRO ATLANTA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND OTHER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BODIES TO FILL THE EXTRA FLIGHT CAPACITY WITH ROUTES TO CANADA, SOUTH AFRICA AND SEVERAL LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES, MR. SOUTHWELL SAID.
LATIN AMERICAN ROUTES ARE ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT, HE SAID, “BECAUSE MANY ASIAN CARRIERS AND SOME EUROPEAN ONES SAY THAT ATLANTA IS NOT AS ATTRACTIVE AS A DESTINATION BECAUSE IT LACKS A SOUTH AMERICAN CONNECTION.”
THE AIRPORT IS DISCUSSING POSSIBLE FLIGHTS TO ATLANTA WITH AIRLINES FROM CHILE, ARGENTINA AND VENEZUELA, SAID MR. SOUTHWELL. HOWEVER, THE PRIVATIZATION OF THE CHILEAN AIRLINE, THE ARGENTINEAN AIRLINE’S LOSS OF FINANCIAL BACKING AND SAFETY CONCERNS ABOUT VENEZUELA HAVE SLOWED DOWN THE TALKS, HE SAID.
CONNECTIONS WITH BARBADOS AND ANTIGUA ARE IN THE WORKS, HE ADDED, AND ANDY YOUNG, CHAIRMAN OF THE METRO ATLANTA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, IS NEGOTIATING TO BRING SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS TO HARTSFIELD BY NEXT YEAR.
HARTSFIELD IS ALSO WORKING WITH DELTA TO SECURE A TORONTO TO ATLANTA FLIGHT, SAID MR. SOUTHWELL.
BY BRIANA PEHLMAN