AIRPORT: Design a blueprint for the world

Twenty-nine years ago, Mayor Maynard Jackson opened what was then the world’s largest passenger terminal complex. Since then, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport has focused on the future. Our efficient terminal layout and parallel runways still influence airport design and are the foundation that makes us the world’s busiest airport.

Despite the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, security changes, escalating construction and fuel costs, airline bankruptcies and a global recession, we continue to invest in the region’s economic future.

While others froze investments, we completed projects that are paying dividends today, such as our fifth runway. This fall we’ll open a consolidated rental car center to serve travelers for years to come and provide an anchor for College Park’s Gateway Center. In 2012, a new international terminal will accommodate our carriers’ expanding global reach and stimulate the new airport city that will replace the shuttered Ford Hapeville plant.

Our investment in our future will enhance the $23.5 billion impact that the airport makes each year on our region’s economy.

Ben DeCosta is general manager of the Atlanta airport.