Delta CEO Comments Point Toward International Expansion
City officials want more passengers and more cargo to flow through what’s already the world’s busiest airport.
To sweeten the pot in an effort to make that happen, they’re offering $2-million a year to an airline or airlines that establish new passenger or cargo routes out of Hartsfield-Jackson.An audio version of this story
But Delta, the airport’s dominant carrier (accounting for about 75% of passenger and 30% of cargo traffic in and out of HJIA) plans to soak up most of those funds.
“We will participate and we are eligible to participate in the program, and plan on being able to qualify for much of the $2-million in grants,” Delta CEO Richard Anderson told investors Wednesday.
But does Delta’s stated intent go against the spirit of the city’s incentive program, which is to attract new service?
“Absolutely not,” said Miguel Southwell, Hartsfield-Jackson’s interim general manager.
“The focus is absolutely not on a certain airline; the focus is on connecting this community to other commercial centers around the world,” he told WABE.
Delta can’t win the incentives just by adding more frequency to current routes, or by throwing a few more boxes under the belly of a plane. It would have to add new global destinations from Atlanta.
While Delta’s CEO didn’t mention any such plans, Anderson’s response can be viewed as a nod toward that growth.
WABE’s calls to Delta seeking clarification were not returned.
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