BRADENTON, Fla. — Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed appointed Miguel Southwell as general manager of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Southwell had been interim manager since late last year, when predecessor Louis Miller announced he would retire.
When Miller was appointed manager in 2010, Southwell was also a finalist for the position at that time. He previously worked for the Miami-Dade Aviation Department.
"I'm confident that Miguel Southwell is the right executive to continue Hartsfield-Jackson's dominance as the world's busiest passenger airport, and grow its capabilities as a leading global cargo hub," Reed said when he announced the selection May 12. "[Southwell's] experience in Miami, and prior experience in Atlanta, is the right fit to carry out my vision for our airport to be the nation's leader in the logistics and air cargo space."
A new financial incentive program to stimulate international air cargo and passenger growth was recently implemented at Atlanta International.
Among his duties, Reed said Southwell will implement the airport's new master plan through 2030, which includes completing expansion of the airport's $500 million concessions program, and determining needs such as the number of gates, additional security, and parking in the future.
The two-year master plan study is expected to be completed later this year.
Reed said city officials and a search committee looked at aviation executives at the top 40 airports in the nation before naming a list of finalists. Along with Southwell on that list were Deborah Ale Flint, aviation director at Oakland International Airport and Paul Wiedefeld, executive director of the Maryland Aviation Administration.
Southwell's appointment must still be confirmed by the City Council.
Atlanta owns and operates the airport. In fiscal 2013, the airport saw 42.56 million enplaned domestic passengers and 4.96 million of international passengers for an aggregate increase of 0.8%.
In fiscal 2013, Delta Air Lines and its affiliates had 70.2% of the market share at the airport while the combined Air Tran and Southwest Airlines came in second with a 13.5% market share. Landed cargo weight was 58.24 million pounds, down 0.1%.
The city had $3.06 billion of outstanding aviation revenue bonds as of June 30, 2013. The senior-lien general revenue bonds are rated Aa3 by Moody's Investors Service, and A-plus by Fitch Ratings and Standard & Poor's.
