Atlanta is Still World's Busiest Airport

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BRADENTON, Fla. - For the 16th consecutive year, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport retained its title as world's busiest airport in 2013, according to the Airports Council International.

Some 94.4 million passengers passed through Atlanta last year, which included a 4.1% increase in international passenger traffic over the previous year.

The airport, whose top two carriers are Delta Air Lines and Southwest, was also first in total movements with 911,000 landings and takeoffs.

Atlanta, which owns and operates the airport, is preparing to close April 10 on $846.5 million of refunding bonds.

The refunding sold in three series and was oversubscribed up to 19 times in certain maturities during pricing on March 26.

The deal achieved an aggregate present value savings of $73.6 million or 8.38% of refunded par amount, far greater than the projected savings of $47.6 million or 6.6% before pricing.

Strong investor demand enabled book-runner Siebert Brandford Shank to tighten spreads in each maturity, city officials said.

"The city of Atlanta is pleased by how well our debt was received," said chief financial officer Jim Beard. "We believe that this is reflective of the leadership provided by the mayor and the strong position of both Atlanta and Hartsfield Jackson International Airport in the global marketplace."

The airport's capital improvement plan includes about $800 million for ongoing and future projects between 2014 and 2017, though no additional debt is anticipated.

Hartsfield Jackson's senior lien bonds are rated Aa3 by Moody's Investors Service, and A-plus by Fitch Ratings and Standard & Poor's.

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Transportation industry Georgia
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