“Black Panther” fans rejoice: The world’s busiest airport is officially offering nonstop flights to the fictional Kingdom of Wakanda. Sort of.
Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport shared a photo of a terminal showing a 7:30 p.m. departure time to the hidden city on Twitter Monday, following a holiday weekend that brought in $235 million for the film.
The person behind the airport’s Twitter account had answers to all the essential questions.
According to the state Department of Economic Development, 3,100 people working in Georgia's booming film industry were employed during the shoot, which started in August 2016 and wrapped up in November 2017.
"We're incredibly proud that Atlanta has such an important role in the film industry," Reese McCranie, Hartsfield-Jackson's director of policy and communications, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. McCranie said the airport's social media team, which he oversees, came up with the idea during a Monday meeting.
Related: ‘Black Panther’ enjoys record weekend at box office
Since its posting, the playful image shared on the airport’s official Instagram and Twitter accounts has reached hundreds of thousands of people.
“We love keeping our customers engaged,” McCraine said. “And it’s important for us to be part of the cultural conversation.”
Unfortunately, the current flight departing from Gate T3 isn’t headed to the Kingdom of Wakanda. But, McCraine said, “we are certainly looking to explore direct service connection. In the meantime, we hope everyone gets to enjoy the movie.”
As for Wakanda, the beauty and wonder of the fictional country was inspired by Africa itself. Before shooting the film, director Ryan Coogler explored the mountainscape of the tiny nation of Lesotho.
Related: 5 things to know about ‘Black Panther’ director Ryan Coogler
According to The Washington Post, Wakanda is actually farther north, along the shores of Lake Victoria. "The country is rendered as a Pan-African pastiche; viewers of Black Panther can point to Ghanaian fabrics and Zulu headdresses, Ethiopian tribal body markings and a prominent Bantu tongue," the Post reported.
The fictional country was also inspired by several African landmarks, including South Africa’s Three Rondavels (or Three Sisters) and the canyon Orbi Gorge.
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