Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has been named airport of the year for the second straight year by Air Cargo Week, the industry’s top trade publication.
Airport officials received the award June 9 at a banquet during the Air Cargo China Exhibition and Conference in Shanghai.
Considering factors such as investment in cargo services, special facilities, cargo clearance times and future development plans, Air Cargo Week’s readers picked Hartsfield over international airports in the Netherlands, Singapore and South Korea. The Atlanta airport won the award last year in Munich, Germany.
“This award is further proof of our increasing reputation internationally as a major force in the air cargo industry,” said Hartsfield General Manager Ben DeCosta in a news release.
The cargo that passes through the Atlanta airport each year supports 176,248 jobs in the Southeast, according to the release.
Still, Hartsfield is primarily known for moving people, not goods. According to Airports Council International, the world’s busiest airport by passengers ranked 30th in the world for cargo, handling 655,277 metric tons in 2008, the last year for which full statistics are available. That was a decline of 9 percent from the previous year.
More: Hartsfield Seeks Award, Cargo Business in China
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