Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) will turn 100 in 2025. And to mark the occasion the airport is launching 18 months of celebrations starting on New Year’s Eve.
As 2024 rolls over to 2025, ATL’s canopies will display a New Year’s countdown and a special centennial design that will be visible most nights of the year.
We haven’t seen the centennial design yet, but based on previous designs – like this rainbow version – we’re looking forward to something snazzy.
In addition to the New Year’s Eve countdown, ATL centennial events will include a centennial gala, art displays, stories documenting the Airport’s history, and a look ahead to the future.
In the meantime, ATL is sharing some historical milestones:
*On April 16, 1925, Walter Sims, the 44th mayor of Atlanta, signed a five-year lease for an abandoned auto racetrack that City Council member William Hartsfield thought would make a good airfield.
*The first commercial flight into what was then known as Candler Field, took place on Sept. 15, 1926 when Florida Airways delivered mail on the Tampa/Jacksonville/Atlanta route.
*William Hartsfield served as the 47th and 49th mayor of Atlanta. And when he died, in 1971, the Airport’s name was changed to William B. Hartsfield Atlanta Airport.
*In October 2003, the Airport’s name was changed again to honor Maynard Jackson, the city’s first Black mayor who served as the city’s 52nd and 54th mayor.
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