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135-551: Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport ( IATA : BHM , ICAO : KBHM , FAA LID : BHM ), formerly Birmingham Municipal Airport and later Birmingham International Airport , is a civil-military airport serving Birmingham, Alabama . The airport also provides scheduled airline service for the Birmingham and Tuscaloosa metropolitan areas. It is located in Jefferson County , five miles northeast of Downtown Birmingham, near

270-446: A $ 201.6 million terminal renovation project. This project included a major renovation and upgrade to the airport's existing Concourse   C, which was dismantled down to its structural components and rebuilt. Concourse   B was completely demolished and new concourses A   and   B were built. All three concourses are now linked, allowing passengers to walk from Concourse   A, through to Concourse   C without exiting

405-662: A 137,000-square-foot (12,700 m ) customer service center, and a maintenance center featuring 140 gas pumps and 30 wash bays equipped with a water recovery system. An automated people mover , the ATL SkyTrain , runs between the rental car center, the Domestic Terminal, and the Gateway Center of the Georgia International Convention Center , while a four-lane roadway that spans Interstate 85 connects

540-439: A 9,000-foot (2,700 m) fourth parallel runway was completed, and another runway was extended to 11,889 feet (3,624 m) the following year. To accommodate increases in international air traffic, a southern extension of Concourse T opened in 1987, and Concourse E opened in 1994 in advance of Atlanta hosting the 1996 Summer Olympics , with Concourse T subsequently being converted to use by domestic flights. MARTA rail service

675-413: A day.) It also stopped using firetrucks to spray water over aircraft when the pilot made the last landing before retirement (a water salute ). The city of Macon offered to sell water to the airport through a proposed pipeline. The Maynard H. Jackson International Terminal and Concourse F opened on the east side of the airport for international passengers in 2012. The 1980 terminal on the other end of

810-499: A dedicated underground walkway to the Concourse F checkpoint. International passengers arriving in Concourse E that are connecting to another flight will be processed in a separate checkpoint on Concourse E and reenter the concourse via a dedicated TSA checkpoint. The domestic terminal can be accessed directly from Interstate 85 SB at exit 72/Camp Creek Pkwy, or from Interstate 85 NB at exit 71/Riverdale Rd. The international terminal

945-454: A digital flight arrival/departure screen fixture, added as part of the 2013–2014 renovation, fell on a mother and her children, killing ten-year-old Luke Bresette and injuring his mother and two other siblings of Overland Park, Kansas. In September 2014, the Bresette family and companies involved in the installation of the display reached a wrongful death settlement. A bronze relief of Luke Bresette

1080-598: A disadvantage in accommodating traffic between East Coast points, and a relatively strong sales and marketing campaign by Atlanta under Mayor William Hartsfield . After the airport returned to city control in August 1948 Southern Airways began service. In March 1951 four runways were in use, Runways 5/23 (now 6/24) and 18/36, and runways at about 45/225 degrees north of Runway 5/23 and 85/265 degrees mostly south of Runway 5/23. Runway lengths were about 4,000 feet (1,200 m) to 5,500 feet (1,700 m). The runway at 45/225 degrees

1215-412: A flat wall. The concourse walls had relatively few windows, typically at waiting and dining areas. The presence of multiple shops, restrooms and service areas reduced the need for windows in the concourses. Jetways were used for the majority of the gates and aircraft, though Delta Connection and United Express used stairs leading to the tarmac to board flights on regional jets (currently all flights at

1350-550: A new airport is built, replacing the old one, leaving the city's new "major" airport (or the only remaining airport) code to no longer correspond with the city's name. The original airport in Nashville, Tennessee, was built in 1936 as part of the Works Progress Administration and called Berry Field with the designation, BNA. A new facility known as Nashville International Airport was built in 1987 but still uses BNA. This

1485-517: A partition is closed, redirecting deplaning passengers down a separate corridor to the customs facility. After being processed, passengers proceed through one-way doors into the main arrival hall. Concourse B, which opened on March 13, 2013, consists of five gates: B1–B5. It is used by American. Concourse C, which opened on August 14, 2014, consists of six gates: C1-C6. It is used by Southwest and United. Former Concourse B consisted of six gates, B1-B6. Prior to its closure and demolition, Concourse   B

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1620-495: A route from Love Field in Dallas, Texas to Birmingham. When American Airways (now American Airlines ) began their Atlanta, Georgia to Fort Worth, Texas route, Birmingham was not included because their Ford Tri-Motors could not land at Roberts Field. Thus, Birmingham began construction of what is now Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport. The airport opened on May 31, 1931 with a two-story, white, Georgian style terminal and

1755-515: A single east–west runway. The terminal was just east of the later 1962 and 1971 terminal complexes. No remains of the 1931 terminal or landscaping are visible. With the addition of American Airlines in 1931 and Eastern Airlines in 1934, air traffic increased enough to warrant a second runway. World War II saw the airport leased to the United States Army Air Forces for $ 1 a year to support national defense. Birmingham Army Airfield

1890-530: A small hub at Atlanta and relocated to some of Eastern's former gates on Concourse C. TWA abandoned the Atlanta hub concept in 1994 leaving Delta with a monopoly hub at Atlanta. Japan Airlines was the first Asian carrier to serve Atlanta in 1986. In December 1994, Korean Air became the second Asian carrier to serve the airport. Atlanta-based ValuJet was established in 1993 as low-cost competition for Delta at ATL. ValuJet built up their hub on Concourse C in

2025-452: A total of 192 gates. The Domestic Terminal is located on the west side of the airport and the Maynard H. Jackson Jr. International Terminal is on the east side of the airport. The Domestic Terminal has entrances on both sides, which are known as Domestic Terminal North and Domestic Terminal South. Concourse T is directly connected to the Domestic Terminal and Concourse F is directly connected to

2160-517: A year. The airport is routinely cited as one of the world's busiest , topping the Airports Council International rankings in 2022 and 2023. Delta and Eastern dominated the airport during the 1970s. United , Southern , Piedmont , Northwest and TWA were also present. In 1978, after airline deregulation , United no longer served Atlanta, while Southern successor Republic was the airport's third-largest carrier. Eastern

2295-551: Is "absolutely" safe. A music video for contemporary Christian musician Brandon Heath 's song " Give Me Your Eyes " was filmed over the night of July 23–24, 2008 at the airport after most flights had landed for the night. It was directed by the Erwin Brothers and premiered on the Gospel Music Channel on August 23, 2008. IATA airport code The assignment of these codes is governed by IATA Resolution 763, and it

2430-490: Is 10,000 feet (3,048 m) long, and the longest runway at ATL measures 12,390 feet (3,776 m) long, which can handle the Airbus A380 . Since 1998, Hartsfield–Jackson has been the world's busiest airport by passenger traffic . In 2023, the airport served over 104.6 million passengers, the most of any airport in the world. Hartsfield–Jackson is also the world's busiest airport by aircraft movements . Hartsfield–Jackson

2565-433: Is 12,007 by 150 feet (3,660 x 46 m) and 18/36 is 7,099 by 150 feet (2,164 x 46 m). Atlantic Aviation operates two general aviation fixed-base operator facilities, and there are numerous corporate hangars north of Runway 6/24 and east of Runway 18/36. AirMed International , a fixed-wing air ambulance company, operates its main hub from here. There is a large, full service aircraft modification and maintenance facility on

2700-499: Is GSN and its IATA code is SPN, and some coincide with IATA codes of non-U.S. airports. Canada's unusual codes—which bear little to no similarity with any conventional abbreviation to the city's name—such as YUL in Montréal , and YYZ in Toronto , originated from the two-letter codes used to identify weather reporting stations in the 1930s. The letters preceding the two-letter code follow

2835-670: Is a living plant wall entitled "Earth Wind and Water: The Landscape of Alabama". This living wall is the largest living wall inside any airport terminal in the United States. The wall is 100 feet wide, 14 feet high, and contains 1,400 square feet of vegetated area. The second major work of art is an electronic display which is approximately 50 feet long and made up of 26 large format electronic LCD displays. The displays contain pictures and video clips which are linked to form an ever-changing moving wall depicting various "stories" focussing on African American history and civil rights. An art program at

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2970-444: Is accessed directly from Interstate 75 SB or NB at exit 239. These freeways in turn connect with the following additional freeways within 10 miles: Interstate 285 , Interstate 675 , Georgia State Route 166 , Interstate 20 . Hartsfield–Jackson has its own train station on the city's rapid transit system, MARTA , served by the Red and Gold lines. The above-ground station is inside

3105-606: Is administered by the IATA's headquarters in Montreal , Canada. The codes are published semi-annually in the IATA Airline Coding Directory. IATA provides codes for airport handling entities, and for certain railway stations. Alphabetical lists of airports sorted by IATA code are available. A list of railway station codes , shared in agreements between airlines and rail lines such as Amtrak , SNCF , and Deutsche Bahn ,

3240-578: Is also an operating base for low-cost carriers Frontier Airlines , Southwest Airlines , and Spirit Airlines . The airport has international service within North America and to Latin America, Europe, Africa, Middle East and East Asia. The airport is mostly in unincorporated areas of Clayton County , but it spills into the city limits of Atlanta, College Park , and Hapeville , in territory extending into Fulton County . The airport's domestic terminal

3375-545: Is also on base. BHM currently has one new terminal building with three new concourses, which opened on March 13, 2013 (Concourses A, B) and on August 14, 2014 (Concourse C). The landside terminal (the area before the security threshold) has two levels. The upper level has ticketing and check-in facilities, a business center, and a large function room. The lower level has baggage claim facilities, airline baggage offices, airport operations offices, and meeting rooms available for use. The airport has its own police force with offices on

3510-544: Is available. However, many railway administrations have their own list of codes for their stations, such as the list of Amtrak station codes . Airport codes arose out of the convenience that the practice brought pilots for location identification in the 1930s. Initially, pilots in the United States used the two-letter code from the National Weather Service (NWS) for identifying cities. This system became unmanageable for cities and towns without an NWS identifier, and

3645-518: Is different from the name in English, yet the airport code represents only the English name. Examples include: Due to scarcity of codes, some airports are given codes with letters not found in their names: The use of 'X' as a filler letter is a practice to create three-letter identifiers when more straightforward options were unavailable: Some airports in the United States retained their NWS ( National Weather Service ) codes and simply appended an X at

3780-513: Is in conjunction to rules aimed to avoid confusion that seem to apply in the United States, which state that "the first and second letters or second and third letters of an identifier may not be duplicated with less than 200 nautical miles separation." Thus, Washington, D.C. area's three airports all have radically different codes: IAD for Washington–Dulles , DCA for Washington–Reagan (District of Columbia Airport), and BWI for Baltimore (Baltimore–Washington International, formerly BAL). Since HOU

3915-532: Is not followed outside the United States: In addition, since three letter codes starting with Q are widely used in radio communication, cities whose name begins with "Q" also had to find alternate codes, as in the case of: IATA codes should not be confused with the FAA identifiers of U.S. airports. Most FAA identifiers agree with the corresponding IATA codes, but some do not, such as Saipan , whose FAA identifier

4050-831: Is now largely removed, though a paved portion remains crossing taxiway F near the Alabama Air National Guard facilities, used for airport equipment and helicopter landing/parking. The runway at 85/265 is also mostly removed, with remaining segments making up taxiway A5 and a portion of taxiway F east of Runway 18/36. By 1959 Runway 5/23 was 10,000 feet (3,000 m) and service was started to Birmingham by Capital Airlines with Vickers Viscounts . The first scheduled jets were Delta Convair 880s in October 1961, flying ATL-BHM-MSY-LAX and back. Birmingham then had nonstops to Newark and Washington, DC, but no other nonstops beyond Charlotte, Memphis and New Orleans, and no nonstops to Florida. In

4185-510: Is served by MARTA 's Red and Gold rail lines. Hartsfield–Jackson began with a five-year, rent-free lease on 287 acres (116 ha) that was an abandoned auto racetrack named The Atlanta Speedway. The lease was signed on April 16, 1925, by Mayor Walter Sims , who committed the city to develop it into an airfield. As part of the agreement, the property was renamed Candler Field after its former owner, Coca-Cola tycoon and former Atlanta mayor Asa Candler . The first flight into Candler Field

Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport - Misplaced Pages Continue

4320-497: Is the corporate headquarters and primary hub of Delta Air Lines . With just over 1,000 flights a day to 225 domestic and international destinations, the Delta hub is the world's largest airline hub and is considered the first mega-hub in America. Additionally, Hartsfield–Jackson is the home of Delta's Technical Operations Center , which is the airline's primary maintenance, repair and overhaul arm. Aside from Delta, Hartsfield–Jackson

4455-611: Is the primary international airport serving Atlanta and its surrounding metropolitan area , in the U.S. state of Georgia . The airport is located 10 mi (16 km; 8.7 nmi) south of the Downtown Atlanta district. It is named after former Atlanta mayors William B. Hartsfield and Maynard Jackson . The airport covers 4,700 acres (7.3 sq mi; 19 km ) of land and has five parallel runways which are aligned in an east–west direction. There are three runways that are 9,000 feet (2,743 m) long, one runway that

4590-416: Is used for William P. Hobby Airport , the new Houston–Intercontinental became IAH. The code BKK was originally assigned to Bangkok–Don Mueang and was later transferred to Suvarnabhumi Airport , while the former adopted DMK. The code ISK was originally assigned to Gandhinagar Airport (Nashik's old airport) and later on transferred to Ozar Airport (Nashik's current airport). Shanghai–Hongqiao retained

4725-478: The Airbus A320 to their hub at Dallas/Fort Worth . The CRJ700/900 family was the most common regional aircraft, being used by American Eagle, Delta Connection, and United Express. The Canadair Regional Jets and ERJ 145 shared the second spot for regional jets, being utilized by the airlines above as well as American Eagle. Southern Airways Express formerly operated on-demand charter flights to select cities on

4860-564: The Atlanta City Council voted to rename Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport to honor former mayor Maynard Jackson , who died four months prior. The council planned to drop Hartsfield's name from the airport, but public outcry (occurring coincidentally during a debate over the state's flag ) prevented this. In 2007, an "end-around taxiway" opened, Taxiway Victor. It is expected to save an estimated $ 26 million to $ 30 million in fuel each year by allowing airplanes landing on

4995-456: The Bahamas , Canada , and Mexico in the past, but as of March 2020, there are no scheduled international flights. However, air ambulance operator AirMed International regularly operates to and from destinations throughout the world; corporate aircraft routinely depart and arrive from foreign destinations, as well. The Southern Museum of Flight currently operates on Airport Authority property, to

5130-561: The Canadian transcontinental railroads were built, each station was assigned its own two-letter Morse code : When the Canadian government established airports, it used the existing railway codes for them as well. If the airport had a weather station, authorities added a "Y" to the front of the code, meaning "Yes" to indicate it had a weather station or some other letter to indicate it did not. When international codes were created in cooperation with

5265-623: The Cessna 208 Caravan aircraft (which was the only scheduled passenger service to BHM on turbo-prop aircraft). Mountain Air Cargo also operates daily flights to Memphis using the ATR-72 twin-turboprop aircraft on behalf of FedEx Express . FedEx operates their Boeing 757-200 ; while UPS uses their Boeing 767-300F as well as the Airbus A300-600 F, these are the only wide-body aircraft to routinely use

5400-885: The Embraer E-175 , the Boeing 717 , the Boeing 737 family, and the Airbus A319 / A320 . Currently, FedEx Express operates daily, weekday service to Memphis with a Boeing 757-200F , along with an ATR-72 , operated by Mountain Air Cargo . UPS Airlines operates daily, weekday service to Louisville . On Friday nights, instead of a direct flight to Louisville, UPS Airlines sends a Boeing 767-300F from New Orleans to BHM before continuing onto Louisville. On Saturday mornings, UPS Airlines sends an Airbus A300-600 F from Louisville to Birmingham, which then continues on to Pensacola . In April 2023, Kuehne+Nagel began twice weekly flights from Stuttgart, Germany to Birmingham, primarily to support

5535-403: The National Weather Service . Atlanta was a busy airport from its inception, and by the end of 1930, it was third behind New York City and Chicago for regular daily flights with sixteen arriving and departing. Candler Field's first control tower opened March 1939. The March 1939 Official Aviation Guide shows fourteen weekday airline departures: ten Eastern and four Delta. In October 1940,

Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport - Misplaced Pages Continue

5670-671: The RF-84F Thunderflash , it had only recently retired its RB-26C Invaders, the last squadron in the Air Force to do so; thus the 117th was seen as the logical choice for the CIA's secret mission. Seven of the volunteer aviators participated combat operations during the final day of the invasion, on August 19, 1961. Birmingham natives Leo Baker, Wade Gray, Riley Shamburger, and Thomas "Pete" Ray were killed when their (two) aircraft were shot down. While American involvement had been suspected since before

5805-412: The 106Th Air Refueling Squadron (ANG), and the 99Th Air Refueling Squadron (USAF). The current complement of personnel is over 300 full-time personnel, including military and civilian employees. This expands to over 1,300 personnel for Unit Training Assembly (UTA) weekends and during activation. The Alabama Army National Guard (AL ARNG) and U.S. Army Reserve (USAR) have facilities and units co-located on

5940-641: The 1940s, Birmingham was considered as a potential air transportation hub for the Deep South . However, Delta Air Lines , Eastern Air Lines and the United States Postal Service each opted to use Atlanta for this purpose instead. One factor was an aviation fuel tax imposed by the City of Birmingham in the 1940s; other factors included Birmingham's location in the Central Time Zone , which placed it at

6075-642: The Boeing 737 and 717 to BHM. Southwest utilizes Boeing 737s for all flights. United Express ( GoJet Airlines , Mesa Airlines , SkyWest Airlines , Republic Airways ) operate the Embraer 170/175, Embraer 140/145, and the CRJ-550 for their flights. American Eagle ( PSA Airlines , Envoy Air , Mesa Airlines , and SkyWest Airlines ) operate the ERJ145 , ERJ175 , and CRJ700/900 family. Recently, American Airlines also offered service on

6210-439: The Concourse   C and phase   2 completion was held on August 11, 2014, and Concourse   C officially opened for arriving and departing flights on August 14, 2014. Concourse A, which opened on March 13, 2013, consists of eight gates: A1–A8. It is used by Delta, Spirit, and American. It also contains U.S. Customs and Immigration facilities capable of processing arriving international aircraft. For international arrivals,

6345-548: The International Concourse) was used by international flights. Eastern ceased operations in 1991 because of labor issues. From Eastern's demise to the 1996 Summer Olympics , Delta's hub grew to occupy all of Concourse B and the southern side of Concourse T (which opened in 1987), and international flights moved to the new Concourse E (which opened in 1994). By 1996, Delta's regional affiliate Atlantic Southeast Airlines (operating as Delta Connection ) relocated to

6480-526: The International Terminal. The remaining five concourses (Concourses A-E) are located between the two terminals and are parallel to each other. The terminals and concourses are connected airside by the Transportation Mall, an underground pedestrian tunnel with a series of moving walkways and The Plane Train , a 24/7 underground automated people mover. A second underground walkway connecting

6615-569: The Southeast until 1979. In 1957, Atlanta saw its first jet airliner: a prototype Sud Aviation Caravelle that was touring the country arrived from Washington, D.C. The first scheduled turbine airliners were Capital Viscounts in June 1956; the first scheduled jets were Delta DC-8s in September 1959. The first trans-Atlantic flight was a Delta/Pan Am interchange DC-8 to Europe via Washington starting in 1964;

6750-571: The U.S. For example, several airports in Alaska have scheduled commercial service, such as Stebbins and Nanwalek , which use FAA codes instead of ICAO codes. Thus, neither system completely includes all airports with scheduled service. Some airports are identified in colloquial speech by their IATA code. Examples include LAX and JFK . Hartsfield%E2%80%93Jackson Atlanta International Airport Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport ( IATA : ATL , ICAO : KATL , FAA LID : ATL )

6885-459: The U.S. government declared it a military airfield and the United States Army Air Forces operated Atlanta Army Airfield jointly with Candler Field. The Air Force used the airport primarily to service many types of transient combat aircraft. During World War II , the airport doubled in size and set a record of 1,700 takeoffs and landings in a single day, making it the nation's busiest in terms of flight operation. Atlanta Army Airfield closed after

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7020-481: The United States, because "Y" was seldom used in the United States, Canada simply used the weather station codes for its airports, changing the "Y" to a "Z" if it conflicted with an airport code already in use. The result is that most major Canadian airport codes start with "Y" followed by two letters in the city's name (for example, YOW for O tta w a , YWG for W innipe g , YYC for C algar y , or YVR for V ancouve r ), whereas other Canadian airports append

7155-401: The acquisition. AirTran was fully absorbed into Southwest in 2014, continuing to operate Atlanta as a focus city and remaining the airport's second-largest carrier. In 2024, Southwest announced it was permanently cutting 15 destinations from Atlanta, reducing its footprint from 18 gates to 11, and cutting staff. In recent years the airport has had an increase in non-Delta flights, both due to

7290-557: The air cargo areas, including a new facility at the far west end of runway 6-24 which houses FedEx and United Parcel Service . A new FAA air traffic control tower located south of the terminal parking deck and measuring 198-foot (60 m) in height entered service in the Summer of 2001. The 1962 blue and white air traffic control tower was demolished in 2004. In 2006 Birmingham International Airport celebrated its 75th year. In July 2007 an 2,000-foot (610 m) eastward extension to Runway 6/24

7425-399: The airline began offering direct flights to Manchester. Also in 2015, Turkish Airlines began offering direct flights to Istanbul and Qatar Airways began Doha flights on June 1. In 2019, WestJet began offering direct flights to Calgary, and in 2023, the airline started non-stop service to Vancouver and Winnipeg. In 2024, WestJet began non-stop service to Edmonton. Copa Airlines became

7560-440: The airport itself instead of the city it serves, while another code is reserved which refers to the city itself which can be used to search for flights to any of its airports. For instance: Or using a code for the city in one of the major airports and then assigning another code to another airport: When different cities with the same name each have an airport, they need to be assigned different codes. Examples include: Sometimes,

7695-498: The airport puts on display revolving collections of works throughout the terminal. The program includes works from local artists as well as artists from around the country. In addition there is a rotating Barber Motorsports exhibit on the lower level near the baggage claim. This exhibit features frequently changing displays containing various automobiles and race memorabilia such as driving suits and mounted steering wheels from famous race cars. There are many smaller works of art throughout

7830-483: The airport's footprint, but with minimal impact on the community and environment. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Delta Airlines stored several of their widebody jets as well as many narrow body jets at BHM during the downturn in global travel demand. Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport covers 2,170 acres (878 ha ) at an elevation of 650 feet (198 m) above mean sea level . It has two asphalt runways: 6/24

7965-418: The airport's former name, such as Orlando International Airport 's MCO (for Mc C o y Air Force Base), or Chicago's O'Hare International Airport , which is coded ORD for its original name: Or char d Field. In rare cases, the code comes from the airport's unofficial name, such as Kahului Airport 's OGG (for local aviation pioneer Jimmy H ogg ). In large metropolitan areas, airport codes are often named after

8100-436: The airport. Numerous other aircraft are used for frequent charter flights. Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport is also a primary diversion airport for Atlanta Hartsfield–Jackson International Airport due to its 12,007 ft runway, which frequently brings brief but unique visitors. Sumpter Smith Air National Guard Base is located at the airport. It covers approximately 147 acres and essential facilities to support

8235-428: The airside of the terminal, a large horizontal white sign with teal lettering identified the city as Birmingham. Externally, Concourse C and Concourse B before their reconstruction were radically different from the terminal structure, consisting of straight radial spokes clad with white panels. Concourse   C included a circular end which invokes the appearance of the terminal, whereas Concourse   B terminated at

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8370-487: The base. Alabama Army Aviation Support Facility #2 provides aircraft hangar and maintenance facilities for companies of the 1st Battalion, 169th Aviation Regiment which operate CH-47D Chinook and UH-72A Lakota aircraft. The Armed Forces Reserve Center Buildings 1&2 provide facilities for the 109th Evacuation Hospital, 20th Special Forces Group (1st Battalion), and a Detachment of the 450th Military Police Company (USAR). The (AL ARNG) Field Maintenance Shop #11(FMS-11) facility

8505-653: The central Alabama automotive manufacturing industry. The flights are operated by Atlas Air using a Boeing 747-8F . Instead of returning to Stuttgart , the aircraft repositions to Hong Kong , with a refueling stop in Anchorage, Alaska . Also in April 2023, Air Atlanta Icelandic began operating flights between Liège, Belgium and BHM using Boeing 747-400F aircraft. The return flight stops in Atlanta before continuing on to Liège . In September 2013, Atlanta-based ExpressJet Airlines ,

8640-491: The code SHA, while the newer Shanghai–Pudong adopted PVG. The opposite was true for Berlin : the airport Berlin–Tegel used the code TXL, while its smaller counterpart Berlin–Schönefeld used SXF; the Berlin Brandenburg Airport has the airport code BER, which is also part of its branding. The airports of Hamburg (HAM) and Hannover (HAJ) are less than 100 nautical miles (190 km) apart and therefore share

8775-481: The complex then became known as the Domestic Terminal. Prior to the opening of the International Terminal, all Atlanta-bound international passengers needed to go through TSA screening and transit to the terminal to exit the airport. The opening of the International Terminal eliminated the need for this practice, which had been in use since the opening of Concourse E in 1994. The airport today employs about 55,300 airline, ground transportation, concessionaire, security,

8910-442: The construction for future concourses A   and   B. Former Concourse   C consisted of 13 gates, C1–C14. It was the only concourse at the airport in operation and in use during the first phase of the terminal modernization project. Therefore, all commercial and charter services used this concourse. Concourse   C was then closed when the new concourses A   and   B opened on March 13, 2013. The 1974 terminal

9045-492: The east side of the north–south runway. There are plans for it to relocate to a new site near the Barber Motorsports Park . Commercial air service to Birmingham began in 1928 by St. Tammy and Gulf Coast Airways, at Roberts Field on the west side of Birmingham on a route from Atlanta, Georgia to New Orleans, Louisiana. Delta Air Service began service to Birmingham in late 1929 with six seat Travel Air airplanes along

9180-919: The end. Examples include: A lot of minor airfields without scheduled passenger traffic have ICAO codes but not IATA codes, since the four letter codes allow more number of codes, and IATA codes are mainly used for passenger services such as tickets, and ICAO codes by pilots. In the US, such airfields use FAA codes instead of ICAO. There are airports with scheduled service for which there are ICAO codes but not IATA codes, such as Nkhotakota Airport/Tangole Airport in Malawi or Chōfu Airport in Tokyo, Japan. There are also several minor airports in Russia (e.g., Omsukchan Airport ) which lack IATA codes and instead use internal Russian codes for booking. Flights to these airports cannot be booked through

9315-421: The fare is $ 5.00. A ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Concourse A and Concourse B took place on February 26, 2013. The new terminal officially opened for business on March 13, 2013. The new Concourse   C was completed along with the second half of the main terminal building and baggage claim upon the completion of the second and final phase of the terminal modernization project. A ribbon cutting ceremony for

9450-472: The federal government, the City of Atlanta, and airport tenant employees and is the largest employment center in Georgia. With a payroll of $ 2.4 billion, the airport has a direct and indirect economic impact of $ 3.2 billion on the local and regional economy and an annual regional economic impact of more than $ 19.8 billion. In 2015, the airport became the first airport in the world to serve 100 million passengers in

9585-1165: The first Latin American carrier to serve the airport in 2021 with direct flights to Panama City. In 2022, Air Canada reintroduced Montreal service. Ethiopian Airlines started service to Atlanta in 2023, becoming the first African carrier to serve the airport since South African Airways ended service in 2006. LATAM Perú started service to Atlanta in October 2023 from Lima. Aeromexico Connect resumed service to Atlanta in January 2024 with nonstop service to Guadalajara and Monterrey. Nonstop service to Leon/Guanajuato and Mérida began in March 2024. The Mérida service ended in June. Nonstop service to Querétaro started service in August 2024. Nonstop service to Manzanillo started on November 2. Scandinavian Airlines started service to Atlanta in June 2024 with direct flights from Copenhagen. Etihad Airways will start nonstop service to Atlanta on July 2, 2025 with direct flights to Abu Dhabi. Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport has two terminals and seven concourses with

9720-600: The first scheduled international nonstops were Eastern flights to Mexico City and Jamaica in 1971–72. Nonstops to Europe started in 1978 and to Asia in 1992–93. Atlanta claimed to be the country's busiest airport, with more than two million passengers passing through in 1957 and, between noon and 2   p.m. each day, it became the world's busiest airport. (The April 1957 OAG shows 165 weekday departures from Atlanta, including 45 between 12:05 and 2:00 PM and 20 between 2:25 and 4:25 AM.) Chicago Midway had 414-weekday departures, including 48 between 12:00 and 2:00 PM. In 1957, Atlanta

9855-557: The first three letters of the city in which it is located, for instance: The code may also be a combination of the letters in its name, such as: Sometimes the airport code reflects pronunciation, rather than spelling, namely: For many reasons, some airport codes do not fit the normal scheme described above. Some airports, for example, cross several municipalities or regions, and therefore, use codes derived from some of their letters, resulting in: Other airports—particularly those serving cities with multiple airports—have codes derived from

9990-474: The following format: Most large airports in Canada have codes that begin with the letter "Y", although not all "Y" codes are Canadian (for example, YUM for Yuma, Arizona , and YNT for Yantai , China), and not all Canadian airports start with the letter "Y" (for example, ZBF for Bathurst, New Brunswick ). Many Canadian airports have a code that starts with W, X or Z, but none of these are major airports. When

10125-439: The following years. However, ValuJet's safety practices were questioned early, and the airline was grounded after the 1996 crash of ValuJet Flight 592 . ValuJet resumed operations later that year and in 1997, it merged with AirTran Airways . AirTran would continue operating the hub and was second-largest airline at ATL through the 2000s. AirTran was acquired by Southwest Airlines in 2011, who did not serve Atlanta prior to

10260-593: The form of " YYZ ", a song by the rock band Rush , which utilizes the Morse code signal as a musical motif. Some airports have started using their IATA codes as brand names , such as Calgary International Airport (YYC) and Vancouver International Airport (YVR). Numerous New Zealand airports use codes that contain the letter Z, to distinguish them from similar airport names in other countries. Examples include HLZ for Hamilton , ZQN for Queenstown , and WSZ for Westport . Predominantly, airport codes are named after

10395-479: The growth of flights to and from Atlanta outside North America. To address the significant increase in air traffic that outstripped the capacity of the 1961 terminal, and after years of planning and design, construction began on the present midfield terminal complex in 1977 under the administration of Mayor Maynard Jackson . It was billed as the largest construction project in the South , costing $ 500 million. The complex

10530-471: The hangar. Delta's lease originally was scheduled to expire in 2010, but the airline returned the lease to the City of Atlanta in 2005 as part of its bankruptcy settlement. The city collected an insurance settlement of almost $ 900,000 due to the cancellation. ^1  : Ethiopian Airlines flights from Addis Ababa to Atlanta stop in Rome–Fiumicino for refueling. The flight from Atlanta to Addis Ababa

10665-404: The heavily used terminal spaces, dining areas, and restrooms. Numerous planters were positioned in hallways. The new terminal and concourses completed in the 2010s feature open spaces and clean lines. There is abundant natural light from floor-to-ceiling windows and large skylights. Neutral colors accented with soft blue and chrome are found throughout the terminal. In 2014, the airport completed

10800-423: The interchange of Interstates 20 and 59 . BHM served 3,056,215 passengers in 2023, and is the largest and busiest airport in the state of Alabama by passenger volume. The airfield can handle all aircraft types. The main runway is 12,007 feet (3,660 m) long. The secondary runway is 7,099 feet (2,164 m) long. A Category   II ILS allows operations in visibility as low as a quarter-mile. The airport

10935-482: The international air booking systems or have international luggage transferred there, and thus, they are booked instead through the airline or a domestic booking system. Several heliports in Greenland have 3-letter codes used internally which might be IATA codes for airports in faraway countries. There are several airports with scheduled service that have not been assigned ICAO codes that do have IATA codes, especially in

11070-499: The invasion even began, Ray's frozen body was kept as concrete proof of U.S. support. Continued growth in passenger traffic by 1962 resulted in the construction of a second passenger terminal and a new air traffic control tower, built west of the original 1931 terminal. This was dedicated on February 11, 1962 as the Birmingham Air Terminal. Charles H. McCauley Associates was the supervising architect and Radar & Associates

11205-589: The largest passenger aircraft in the world. All non-Delta international carriers operate their ATL flights from this terminal, including Delta's partners such as Air France, KLM, Korean Air, Virgin Atlantic, and WestJet. Aeromexico operates on Concourse E. International passengers arriving in Concourse F will be processed at the Customs and Border Protection checkpoint in that concourse. In Concourse E, international passengers ending their journeys in Atlanta will go through

11340-633: The late 1960s Douglas DC-8 , Douglas DC-9 , Convair 880 and Boeing 727s were all scheduled to BHM. During the 1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion, pilots and crews from the Alabama Air National Guard 's 117th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Birmingham were selected to train Cuban exile fliers in Nicaragua to fly the Douglas B-26 Invader in the close air support role. Although the 117th was flying

11475-566: The late 1970s. Deregulation of the airline industry saw airlines such as Comair , Florida Express , People Express , Air New Orleans , L'Express Airlines , and Southwest Airlines enter the Birmingham market. The city unsuccessfully lobbied Piedmont Airlines to establish a Birmingham hub in the 1980s; American Airlines considered Birmingham as the site for a new north–south hub around the same time, but opted to establish hubs in Nashville and Raleigh/Durham instead. The original 1931 terminal

11610-533: The longest runway (9/27, now 8R) was 7,860 feet (2,400 m); runway   3 was 5,505 feet (1,678 m) and runway 15 was 7,220 feet (2,200 m) long. In 1971, the airport was named William B. Hartsfield Atlanta Airport in honor of Atlanta mayor William B. Hartsfield after his death. The name change took effect on February 28, which would have been Hartsfield's 81st birthday. The new name would be relatively brief, as it would be changed later in 1971 to William B. Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport with

11745-490: The lower level of the terminal. There are vending machines and ATMs throughout both levels, pre-security. Terminal A referred to the former 1962 terminal, which was still in use as office space until it was closed in 2011. The former Concourse   B was closed in June 2011 and demolished alongside Terminal   A for the first phase of the terminal modernization project to make way for two new concourses, A   and   B, which opened on March 13, 2013. Concourse   C

11880-785: The main building, between the north and south domestic terminals on the west end. The Airport station is currently the southernmost station in the MARTA system, though expansions via metro or commuter rail further south into Clayton County have been discussed. Several local shared-ride shuttle services are readily available at Atlanta Airport, offering diverse options for travelers seeking convenient transportation. The Hartsfield–Jackson Rental Car Center, which opened December 8, 2009, houses all ten airport rental agencies with capacity for additional companies. The complex features 9,900 parking spaces split between two four-story parking decks that together cover 2.8 million square feet (260,000 m ),

12015-653: The mission of the 117th Air Refueling Wing (117 ARW), an Alabama Air National Guard unit operationally gained by the Air Mobility Command (AMC), as well as its KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft. The 117 ARW occupies 101 facilities including offices, mission support structures, maintenance hangars, a petroleum/oil/lubricants (POL) storage and refueling station, a joint Army and Air Force evacuation hospital, as well as 24/7 Security Forces, Fire Response, Base Defense Operations Center, and Base Command Post. The 117 ARW has nine KC-135R Stratotankers allotted among two squadrons

12150-588: The name of the airport from the Birmingham International Airport to the Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport after the former civil rights activist. The name change cost about $ 300,000. The FAA approved the name change and signage of the airport took place on April 3, 2009. In 2011, The Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport broke ground on a comprehensive Terminal Modernization Project. This project

12285-612: The name of the airport itself, for instance: This is also true with some cities with a single airport (even if there is more than one airport in the metropolitan area of said city), such as BDL for Hartford, Connecticut 's B ra dl ey International Airport or Baltimore's BWI, for B altimore/ W ashington I nternational Airport ; however, the latter also serves Washington, D.C. , alongside Dulles International Airport (IAD, for I nternational A irport D ulles) and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA, for D istrict of C olumbia A irport). The code also sometimes comes from

12420-456: The new concourses use jetways). Passenger gates and services are on the second floor with airside baggage handling and aircraft servicing on the ground level. The interior of the terminal was renovated in the early 1990s and completed in 1993 at a cost of $ 50.4 million which included new floor surfaces, lighting, wall coverings, renovated public spaces, and public art. The flooring was a mixture of carpet and large tiles, with tile primarily in

12555-456: The new headquarters. The Atlanta City Council and Mayor of Atlanta Shirley Franklin approved the new 25-year ASA lease, which also gave the airline new hangar space to work on 15 to 25 aircraft in overnight maintenance; previously, its aircraft were serviced at Concourse   C. The airport property division stated that the hangar was built in the 1960s and renovated in the 1970s. Eastern Air Lines and Delta Air Lines had previously occupied

12690-510: The north side of Concourse C and the gates were converted for use by regional aircraft. After Eastern ceased operation, Northwest Airlines (the successor of Republic) briefly expressed interest in establishing an Atlanta hub but ultimately decided against it. American Airlines also considered establishing an Atlanta hub around that time but decided Delta was too strong there and instead replaced Eastern's other hub in Miami . In 1992, TWA created

12825-492: The north side of Concourse C. The south side of Concourse C is used by Southwest Airlines for their operating base. All other domestic airlines operate from Concourse D or the north side of Concourse T. Some Delta and Delta Connection flights operate on Concourse D as well. International flights operate in Concourses E and F. Concourse F is the only concourse in the airport that has a gate that can support an Airbus A380 ,

12960-463: The north sides of Concourses B and C once existed for Eastern Air Lines. Though, this underground walkway was closed in the late 2000s and is now used for the airport's baggage system. Delta Air Lines ' hub includes operations on all seven concourses. The south side of Concourse T and all of Concourses A and B are used exclusively by Delta for main line domestic flights. Delta's regional flights (operated as Delta Connection ) primarily operate from

13095-562: The northernmost runway to taxi to the gate area without preventing other aircraft from taking off. The taxiway drops about 30 feet (9.1 m) from runway elevation to allow takeoffs to continue. After the Southeastern U.S. drought of 2007 , the airport (the state's eighth-largest water user) changed to reduce water usage. This included adjusting toilets (725 commodes and 338 urinals) and 601 sinks. (The two terminals alone use 917,000 US gal (3,470,000 L; 764,000 imp gal)

13230-416: The one they are located in: Other airport codes are of obscure origin, and each has its own peculiarities: In Asia, codes that do not correspond with their city's names include Niigata 's KIJ , Nanchang 's KHN and Pyongyang 's FNJ . EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg , which serves three countries, has three airport codes: BSL, MLH, EAP. Some cities have a name in their respective language which

13365-412: The opening of the concourse to flights on August 14, 2014. There is a rental car facility in an annex on the ground floor of the parking deck. Eight rental car companies are housed within this facility. The airport offers a parking deck with over 5000 spaces available for hourly and daily parking. A remote lot is available for long term parking, with over 700 spaces. A shuttle runs between the terminal and

13500-476: The rapid population growth of Metro Atlanta and the airport's prominence as a major hub . Since 2015 the airport has seen growth from low cost carriers such as Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines . Spirit also established Atlanta as an operating base. In addition to the growth of the low cost carriers, international carriers have increasingly offered service to Atlanta since 2014. In 2014, Virgin Atlantic began offering direct flights to London and in 2015,

13635-463: The remote lot continuously throughout the day. There is a free cell phone waiting lot with a digital flight display for people waiting on arriving passengers. Beginning in December 2015, Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority introduced two new express Airport Shuttle routes from downtown Birmingham hotels directly to the terminal. The shuttle routes operate hourly on Mondays through Saturdays and

13770-575: The rental car center with the existing airport road network. The 990 Toffie Terrace hangar, a part of Hartsfield–Jackson Airport and located within the City of College Park corporate limits, is owned by the City of Atlanta. The building now houses the Atlanta Police Department Helicopter Unit. It once served as the headquarters of the regional airline ExpressJet . Before its merger with ExpressJet, Atlantic Southeast Airlines

13905-501: The same first and middle letters, indicating that this rule might be followed only in Germany. Many cities retain historical names in their airport codes, even after having undergone an official name/spelling/transliteration change: Some airport codes are based on previous names associated with a present airport, often with a military heritage. These include: Some airports are named for an administrative division or nearby city, rather than

14040-426: The scenery of Flat Rock Cemetery and Hart Cemetery, both on the airport property. It was added to help ease traffic problems caused by landing small- and mid-size aircraft on the runways used by larger planes such as the Boeing 777 , which need longer runways than the smaller planes. With the fifth runway, Hartsfield–Jackson is one of only a few airports that can perform triple simultaneous landings . The fifth runway

14175-619: The screening of checked luggage. The new terminal is said to be built with new efficient building standards, making it one of the greenest airports in the country. The first phase of construction was completed on February 26, 2013 with the entire modernization project completed in 2014, culminating in a ribbon cutting ceremony held on August, 7th 2014. The project team included KPS Group and KHAFRA (Architects & Engineers), A.G. Gaston Construction (Project Management), Margaret Jones Interiors, LLC and Brasfield & Gorrie and BLOC Global Services Group (Construction Management). On March 22, 2013,

14310-606: The secure area. The main terminal containing the ticketing and baggage claim areas has been completely gutted and remodelled. Additionally, there have been enhancements to the parking deck, allowing passengers to move between the terminal and the parking deck under cover and without navigating any stairs. There is now a single large security screening checkpoint with TSA PreCheck which provides access to all concourses. Many concessions and shopping, as well as US Customs and Border Protection offices have been added. A completely new integrated baggage screening system has been installed to handle

14445-928: The south side of the airport. It was originally built during World War II , but was subsequently expanded. While little work is now performed at the complex, the facility sits on approximately 180 acres of land and has 1.7 million square feet under its roof. It has 10 aircraft pull-through bays with space under the roof for 54 737-size aircraft. In the year ending November 30, 2023, the airport had 98,681 aircraft operations, an average of 270 movements per day. Itinerant aircraft movements broke down as follows: 41% general aviation , 35% scheduled commercial , 17% air taxi , and 8% military . A total of 230 aircraft were then based at this airport. In September 2020, typical commercial passenger traffic included Boeing 737s , Boeing 717s , Embraer 170s , Embraer 145s , CRJ 900s , CRJ700s , CRJ550s , and CRJ 200s models on about 128 takeoffs or landings daily. Currently, Delta Airlines operates

14580-497: The station code of Malton, Mississauga , where it is located). YUL is used for Montréal–Trudeau (UL was the ID code for the beacon in the city of Kirkland , now the location of Montréal–Trudeau). While these codes make it difficult for the public to associate them with a particular Canadian city, some codes have become popular in usage despite their cryptic nature, particularly at the largest airports. Toronto's code has entered pop culture in

14715-454: The terminal, both pre and post-security. The airport website has an updated list of the various works of art on display. There are a range of dining and shopping options in the terminal, both pre and post-security. The airport features free Wi-Fi internet access throughout the terminal. In 2014, Yahoo Travel ranked the airport as the 49th out of 72 on a list of "Every Important U.S. Airport, Ranked by Its Food and Drink." As of January 2023,

14850-405: The then largest regional US passenger airline, told its pilots to avoid landing on Runway 18, following the crash of UPS Airlines Flight 1354 in Birmingham. An internal review following the accident concluded planes come "dangerously close" to nearby hills if even a few feet too low, that there is a significant "terrain threat" and a non-standard glide path. An aviation safety expert said the runway

14985-479: The top five markets served non-stop from Birmingham are Atlanta , Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas , Charlotte , Houston , and Denver . American Airlines , Delta Air Lines , and Southwest Airlines serve Birmingham with mainline, narrowbody aircraft. Regional airlines provide a large share of daily air carrier service to Birmingham. The most common aircraft serving the airport are the Bombardier CRJ700 / CRJ900 ,

15120-795: The total was revised as of 2007 to over $ 9 billion. In 2001, construction of an over 9,000-foot (2,700 m) fifth runway (10–28) began. It was completed at the cost of $ 1.28 billion and opened in 2006. It bridges Interstate 285 (the Perimeter) on the airport's south side, making Hartsfield–Jackson the nation's only currently active civil airport to have a runway above an interstate (although Runway 17R/35L at Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado , crossed Interstate 70 until that airport closed in 1995). The massive project, which involved putting fill dirt eleven stories high in some places, destroyed some surrounding neighborhoods and dramatically changed

15255-504: The two-letter code of the radio beacons that were the closest to the actual airport, such as YQX in Gander or YXS in Prince George . Four of the ten provincial capital airports in Canada have ended up with codes beginning with YY, including: Canada's largest airport is YYZ for Toronto Pearson (as YTZ was already allocated to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport , the airport was given

15390-412: The upper band of panels was decorated with raised circles of four sizes, two circles per size per panel. The roof is flat over the terminal and concourses; a series of steel columns painted white with stay cables for the terminal awning project from the roof. An enclosed white-clad Observation Deck jutted out from the airside terminal face at a sharp angle between the old concourses B   and   C. On

15525-529: The use of two letters allowed only a few hundred combinations; a three-letter system of airport codes was implemented. This system allowed for 17,576 permutations, assuming all letters can be used in conjunction with each other. Since the U.S. Navy reserved "N" codes, and to prevent confusion with Federal Communications Commission broadcast call signs , which begin with "W" or "K", the airports of certain U.S. cities whose name begins with one of these letters had to adopt "irregular" airport codes: This practice

15660-413: The war. In 1942, Candler Field was renamed Atlanta Municipal Airport and by 1948, more than one million passengers passed through a war surplus hangar that served as a terminal building. Delta and Eastern had extensive networks from ATL, though Atlanta had no nonstop flights beyond Texas, St. Louis, and Chicago until 1961. Southern Airways appeared at ATL after the war and had short-haul routes around

15795-442: The wings of birds in flight or aircraft. In the 1990s terminal there were multiple pieces of art that became well known to frequent visitors to the airport. However, with the terminal modernisation project, most of these pieces were replaced with new, more modern, and in some cases, technologically advanced works. There are two unique major artwork displays in the terminal, both of which are in Concourse   B. The first major display

15930-464: Was September 15, 1926, a Florida Airways mail plane flying from Jacksonville, Florida . In May 1928, Pitcairn Aviation began service to Atlanta, followed in June 1930 by Delta Air Service. Those two airlines, later known as Eastern Air Lines and Delta Air Lines , respectively, would both use Atlanta as their chief hubs . The airport's weather station became the official location for Atlanta's weather observations on September 1, 1928, and records by

16065-550: Was a larger airline than Delta until deregulation in 1978, but Delta was early to adopt the hub-and-spoke route system, with Atlanta as a hub between the Midwest and Florida, giving it an advantage in the Atlanta market. When the current terminal complex opened in 1980, Delta occupied all of Concourse A and the southern side of Concourse B, while Eastern occupied the remainder of Concourse B and all of Concourse C. All other domestic airlines used Concourse D, and Concourse T (known then as

16200-458: Was a section assigned to the Third Air Force as a fighter base, operated by the 310th Army Air Force Base Unit. The Army Air Forces considerably improved the airport with land acquisitions, paving of additional taxiways, and construction of a control tower and an aircraft modification center south of the terminal, now operated by Stewart Industries for aircraft disassembly and disposal. Around

16335-517: Was built in the International style of architecture popular for American commercial and institutional buildings from the 1950s through the late 1970s. It consists of a single curved terminal with concourses radiating outward. Large floor to ceiling plate glass windows form curtain walls on the departure level of the terminal with horizontal bands of repetitive white architectural panels above and below. A slight departure from typical International style,

16470-409: Was closed on March 13, 2013 upon completion of Concourses A   and   B. Concourse   C was not demolished, but was completely gutted and structurally modified, removing the rotunda at the end of the old concourse and changing the structure to make a rectangle shape with the same width from end to end. It then underwent an intensive remodel covering all aspects of the concourse, culminating in

16605-400: Was completed in phases over three years, retaining with extensive renovations the 1973 landside terminal, demolishing the 1962 terminal and 1973 airside concourses and gates (portions of the 1973 Concourse C structure were reused), and constructing all new airside facilities with 19 gates equipped with jetways. Completed in 2014, the completed provided a beautiful new terminal that nearly doubled

16740-532: Was completed. Now 12,007 feet (3,660 m) in length, Runway 6/24 allows a fully loaded Boeing 747 to land or take off. On June 23, 2008 Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford announced his proposal to rename the airport as the Fred L. Shuttlesworth International Airport, in honor of civil rights activist Fred Shuttlesworth . On July 16, 2008, Mayor Langford and the Birmingham Airport Authority voted to change

16875-513: Was demolished in 2004 after being replaced by the 2001 air traffic control tower. This terminal was demolished to make way for the 2011 terminal expansion; the 1962 terminal being located in the area now covered by the aircraft apron for Gate A1. In 1973 a semi-circular terminal was completed west of the 1962 terminal and air traffic control tower. It had 15 aircraft gates and a 1,600 space parking deck. Allegheny Airlines (later US Airways ) began service from Birmingham to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in

17010-626: Was designed by Stevens & Wilkinson, Smith Hinchman & Grylls , and Minority Airport Architects & Planners. The new complex, initially consisting of the North and South Terminals, Concourses A through D, and the northern half of the present-day Concourse T (which served as the International Terminal), opened on September 21, 1980, on time and under budget. It was designed to accommodate up to 55 million passengers per year and covered 2.5 million square feet (230,000 m ). In December 1984,

17145-401: Was expected to increase the capacity for landings and take-offs by 40%, from an average of 184 flights per hour to 237 flights per hour. Along with the fifth runway, a new control tower was built to see the entire runway length. The new control tower is the tallest in the United States, over 398 feet (121 m) tall. The old control tower, at 231 ft, was demolished in 2006. In 2003,

17280-612: Was extended to Hartsfield with the opening of the Airport station in 1988 (the station itself was constructed in 1979-80 as part of the terminal). In 1999, Hartsfield–Jackson's leadership established the Development Program: "Focus On the Future," involving multiple construction projects to prepare the airport to handle a projected demand of 121 million passengers in 2015. The program was originally budgeted at $ 5.4 billion over ten years, but

17415-436: Was finally demolished between 1970 and 1992. With the introduction of flights to Canada and Mexico, the official name of the airport was changed to Birmingham International Airport on October 20, 1993. Also in 1993, the airport marked the completion of a $ 50.4m terminal renovation. In the early 1990s Runway 18/36 was extended to 7,100 feet, allowing use by airline jets. By the early 2000s, Birmingham had completed improvements to

17550-529: Was headquartered in the hangar, then named the A-Tech Center. In December 2007, the airline announced it was moving its headquarters into the facility, previously named the "North Hangar." The 203,000-square-foot (18,900 m ) hangar includes 100,000 square feet (9,300 m ) of hangar bays for aircraft maintenance. It has 17 acres (6.9 ha) of adjacent land and 1,400 parking spaces for employees. The airline planned to relocate 100 employees from Macon to

17685-405: Was installed in the landside Departures level near the location of the accident. Several pieces of artwork are displayed within the terminal and on the airport grounds. Approaching the airport along Messer Airport Boulevard, travelers pass a series of white three dimensional triangular shapes placed on raised posts along the shoulder and median of the roadway with a mid-span folded crease to suggest

17820-577: Was renamed in July 2008 after Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth , founding president of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights and a leader of the Birmingham campaign during the civil rights movement . The airport carries the designation of an international airport and has a staffed U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility on site. There have been scheduled seasonal international flights to

17955-435: Was the country's ninth-busiest airline airport by flight count and about the same by passenger count. In late 1957, work began on a new $ 21 million terminal, which opened on May 3, 1961. Consisting of six pier concourses radiating from a central building, the terminal was the largest in the country and could handle over six million travelers a year; the first year, nine and a half million people passed through. In March 1962,

18090-435: Was the designing architect. It consisted of a single story building of repeated bays with steeply pitched roofs, which flanked a wider, higher center bay at the south end of the building for ticketing. A long, flat roofed northern section comprised the ground-level aircraft gates. The air traffic control tower, completed in 1962 and located immediately southwest of the terminal, was 87 feet (27 m) tall. The 1962 control tower

18225-487: Was used by Northwest/Northwest Airlink, American/American Eagle, Continental/Continental Express and US Airways Express. Northwest moved to Concourse   C in May 2009 and was merged into Delta a year later. American Airlines moved to Concourse   C on June 10, 2011; while US Airways and Continental moved to Concourse   C on June 24, 2011. Concourse   B was then closed and demolished in August 2011 to make way for

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