Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, in partnership with the Metro Atlanta Chamber and the Atlanta Air Cargo Association, celebrated year-over-year achievements in air cargo at the annual ATL Cargo Awards. The luncheon, held March 20 at the North Cargo facility, honored businesses and individuals who work to make ATL a powerful leader in the industry while highlighting continued growth of cargo business operations.
 
“Thanks to the tireless efforts of cargo employees, freight forwarders, ground handlers, partner airlines and trucking companies, Hartsfield-Jackson’s upward trajectory in the air cargo industry is without question – and without abatement,” Airport Senior Deputy General Manager Michael Smith told a crowd of more than 200 attendees.
 
Air cargo employs at least 27,000 workers and provides a nearly $7 billion impact to metro Atlanta, based on the Airport’s last economic impact study in 2013.
 
In 2017, the world’s busiest and most efficient airport moved more than 685,000 metric tons of cargo, a nearly 6 percent increase over 2016’s total.
 
During the luncheon, ATL officials called attention to the Airport’s growing roster of cargo carriers. In 2015, four new all-cargo airlines began operations at Hartsfield-Jackson, another started in 2016 and another launched in 2017. Plans are in place for additional carriers to begin operations, further propelling the Airport toward its ultimate goal: to be in the top tier among U.S. airports for cargo volume.
 
Five companies and one individual were honored in the following categories:
 
Cargo Airline of the Year: Qatar Airways, which saw a 13 percent increase in metric tons of cargo through ATL;
 
Belly-Cargo Airline of the Year: Delta Air Lines, which generates the largest volume of belly cargo through ATL;
 
All-Cargo Airline of the Year: FedEx Express, which saw a 5 percent increase in metric tons of cargo through ATL;
 
Cargo Employee of the Year: Danielle Robinson, a Kintetsu World Express employee who has served the freight-forwarding company for 17 years;
 
Freight Forwarder of the Year: Kintetsu World Express, for its work at ATL;
 
Trucking Company of the Year: J&P Hall Express, for its work at ATL