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Atlanta Airport Unveils Ambitious Renovation Plans

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$6 billion in upgrades could change the busy hub's look and function

New glass canopies will be constructed over the domestic terminal drop-off zones.
ATLNext

Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is a utilitarian workhorse. The busiest most traveled airport in the world for going on two decades, Atlanta lacks in style what it makes up for in sheer expansiveness. But the days of lackluster design and 1980s orange paneling are numbered as the city unveils a drastic overhaul of the aging facility in the form of a 20-year capital plan.

A view of the existing beige and orange concourses.
ATL's distinctive orange panels will be replaced by windows, updating the airport's look and making the concourses brighter.
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Unveiled at this week's State of the Airport event, plans call for more than $6 billion of investments to approve the function and aesthetics of the 36-year-old facility. New parking decks will provide more space for vehicles and improve traffic flow, while a massive arched glass canopy will shield those being dropped off from the elements, highlighted in a video created by ATLNext. Inside, plans call for the transformation of the decidedly dated decor of the domestic terminal and concourses into more modern accommodations, modeled after the new international terminal, according to 11Alive.

The canopies, flanking the north and south sides of the domestic terminal, will glow at night.
ATLNext

Seemingly, the sky is the limit when it comes to what the $6 billion project could bring. In the long-run, airport officials indicate there are plans to construct a Concourse G and add a sixth runway, increasing the capacity of the already busy facility. At the same time as the public investment ramps up, plans for a Portman-designed hotel in the parking lot of the domestic terminal are being finalized. It seems that ATL is cleared for takeoff.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

6000 N Terminal Pkwy, Atlanta, GA 30320 (800) 897-1910 Visit Website