The Atlanta airport has completed a $341 million expansion the T Concourse that added five new gates that will be mainly utilized at the outset by United Airlines.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport officials were on hand for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the newly expanded T gates Tuesday, saying the increased capacity would relieve pressure on other gates at the world’s busiest airport just in time for a busy holiday travel season. United has a relatively small presence at ATL, where about three quarters of the gate space is occupied by Delta Air Lines Inc.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the gates would allow United to consolidate at six larger gates on Concourse T, from which the Chicago-based carrier runs 24 daily flights.
More than 35,000 square feet of gate and concession space was added, and the project received LEED Silver certification from the Green Building Council.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, who appoints the leadership for the city-run airport, was on hand for the ribbon-cutting, saying in a news release that the expansion “simply strengthens our position as a global gateway.”
The gates opened in October after a four-year construction process in which the cost ballooned from an initial estimate of $200 million, the AJC’s Kelly Yamanouchi reported.
T is the closest concourse to the North and South terminals, accessible directly after security screening on the domestic side of the airport.