A month before Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport's international terminal is scheduled to open, the airport and members of the the consular corps on Monday raised flags of nations around the world that will line the road leading up to the new terminal.
The road of flags may be Hartsfield-Jackson’s most distinctive feature for travelers approaching the new terminal, creating an entry landmark along with a huge welcome sign that the main terminal lacks.
The flags include the national banners of about 45 countries with nonstop service to Atlanta, along with flags representing the state, city and airport. Other flags say "welcome" in different languages. Following two American flags flanking Maynard H. Jackson Jr. Boulevard, other nations' flags follow in alphabetical order.
Consular representatives from some 20 nations helped raise the flags at a ceremony Monday. Airport officials raised the flags of other nations afterward. The international terminal is scheduled to open May 16.
"This investment further strengthens Atlanta's position as an international city," said Consul General Stephen Brereton of the Consulate General of Canada, during remarks at the ceremony on behalf of the Atlanta consular corps.
