And It's A Record Breaker

It's a big one -- and it took a decade to build -- but controllers have moved into their new tower at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International, and tracked their first commercial flight from the new digs at 3:10 am Saturday.

"The transition took about eight to ten hours," said FAA spokesperson Kathleen Bergen to Atlanta's WXIA-TV. "We have brand new state-of-the-art equipment in the new tower, and a full team of controllers was there ready to begin handling new flights."

The new tower -- which is 398 feet tall from the base to the tips of the lightning rods, besting the previous record holder at Orlando's MCO by 53 feet -- gives controllers a completely unobstructed view of the entire airport operating area... including a new, fifth runway that opens later this month. The FAA says those two improvements will cut delays at the busy airport.

"In clear weather, we anticipate a reduction in delays of about 27 percent at Hartsfield-Jackson," Bergen said. "In bad weather, when delays are most prevalent, we expect a 31 percent decrease."

The new tower was built at a cost of $44 million, with most of it coming from the city of Atlanta itself. The FAA chipped in about $5 million, mostly for new electronics inside the tower.

What happens to the old tower? It will soon be imploded to make room for a new international terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson.

FMI: www.atlanta-airport.com