Strategically positioned in the southeastern state of Georgia (GA), Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, (IATA identifier ATL, ICAO code KATL) is one of North America’s largest hubs.
Located south of the city of Atlanta, the biggest and most influential city in the state of Georgia, this gateway airport has five runways stretching East to West, which runways serve an extensive and busy network of taxiways, terminals, and maintenance facilities.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is home to one of North America’s larger carriers, Delta Airlines, and by extension its Skyteam partners, in fact, it is Delta’s central hub in the United States. It also houses Delta’s technical arm, Delta Techops.
Atlanta is a must-visit for those who want to see some rare commercial planes. On my visit I could notice how prevalent, types such as the Boeing 717, 757, and 767 still are. Delta is the world’s largest operator of the small and versatile Boeing 717.
The Boeing 717 or Mc Donnell Douglas MD-95, built under the Boeing trade name was the last and final version of the popular DC-9 twinjet. With more than eighty 717s in its inventory, Delta utilizes the good economics of this rare airplane to cover most of its short-haul domestic network in and out of Atlanta.
Whilst in smaller numbers, the larger Boeing 757s and 767 also dominate the scene at Atlanta, these aging airplanes are unfortunately gradually being phased out in favour of more modern and fuel-efficient Airbus 321 NEO’s, Airbus 330 NEO’s, and Airbus 350s. Good to note is that Delta is one of only two operators operating the rare Boeing 767-400.
A must-visit while at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the Delta Historical Museum on the North side of the field adjacent to the Northern cargo terminal. Among the exhibits at the museum, one can find some recently retired Delta jets, namely a Boeing 747-400, Mc Donnell Douglas DC-9, and a Boeing 767-200.
So if you plan to visit the state of Georgia for some reason or another and have some time to spare, I suggest you plan a visit to ATL, it would be worth your while.
