 |
|
Atlanta
Business Chronicle As general manager of the Atlanta airport, Ben DeCosta has faced the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 and their aftermath, overseen construction of a $1.3 billion runway and ridden out the storm of Delta Air Lines' bankruptcy. But his toughest challenge may still be in front of him. DeCosta wants to start planning a second Atlanta airport. If his contract with the city of Atlanta is renewed by the Atlanta City Council -- it expires on March 21 -- DeCosta plans to begin the planning for another commercial airport here. But both of the major carriers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Delta Air Lines Inc. and AirTran Airways, say they don't currently see a need for a second airport. Airports are major infrastructure projects involving federal funding and oversight by the Federal Aviation Administration; borrowing and buy-in from localities; and airline investment in the form of rents, fees and capital. Ultimately, too, it's the passengers who pay in airline tickets, said DeCosta. A new airport in Atlanta would cost billions of dollars, based upon major airport projects in other cities. The four-runway, $4.8 billion Denver International Airport opened in 1994, eight months late and more than $1 billion over budget. (It was the first major U.S. airport built from scratch since Dallas-Fort Worth in the 1970s.) And San Diego has been trying to develop a second airport since 2003. But approval for a second Atlanta commercial airport will depend on many factors -- chiefly, the airlines' support. Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin has said studying a second airport "is a valid question." Franklin has emphasized long-term planning for Atlanta, and wants a recommendation before her term expires in 2009. "We must begin planning for a second airport," DeCosta said. "Atlanta will need a second airport between the years 2020 and 2025, and it takes such a long time to plan, we must start now." DeCosta expects Hartsfield's capacity to max out between 2020 and 2025, at about 150 million passengers annually, which would come close to doubling the nearly 85 million travelers in 2006. With Atlanta's population predicted to soar to 6 million by 2030, the airport's infrastructure can't keep pace, he said. It's unlikely, for example, that DeCosta could expand the airport's runway system because of existing residences and businesses surrounding the 4,700-acre airport, he said. And he's already sent a letter to nearby municipalities pledging he won't add a sixth runway, because of the high cost. The fifth runway's price soared to $1.3 billion, and $390 million of it, said DeCosta, went to moving a convention center and buying homes, churches and businesses. But Delta spokeswoman Gina Laughlin was clear that the carrier doesn't support a second airport. "We would be opposed to building a second Atlanta airport for two reasons," she said. "The most considerable being the massive costs of building and managing a second airport." She cited construction, environmental and operating costs. "It would not make as much sense or be as cost-effective as continuing to expand what we have at the existing airport." The second reason, she said, is Delta's hub and spoke system, which wouldn't be served by a second airport. AirTran said it believes it can continue to grow on Hartsfield's grounds, but isn't yet aware of other options. Low operating costs are its main concern. "AirTran Airways is for growing the Atlanta airport facilities at affordable rates," said AirTran spokesman Tad Hutcheson. "I think that is a reasonable approach for the airlines to be taking," said DeCosta. But, he added, in 20 years, there may a new set of variables. He said it's not clear who would run another airfield. "But we have a team of experts in airport development and management at Hartsfield. We have a public responsibility to at least raise the question." DeCosta didn't have an answer about where a new airport would go (that would be decided by a stakeholders committee), but the city has stockpiled land that could be used in a land swap once the planning gets further along. In the 1970s, then-Mayor Maynard Jackson banked 20,000 acres of land in Dawson and Paulding counties for future airport growth. Although much of the land is too hilly for an airport, it can be used for a future land trade. But DeCosta will need his contract renewed to start the discussion on a second airport. He said he wants four more years at Hartsfield to finish what he started in 1998, when he came here from Newark International Airport.
|
