AirTran Airways' First Flight Departs From New Runway

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Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

ORLANDO, Fla., May 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall


AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, Inc. AAI, today announced that it celebrated the opening of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport's newest runway with the departure of AirTran Airways Flight 1028. Appropriately named for the new runway "10-28" (Flight 1028 was the first AirTran Airways flight to depart from the new runway.

AirTran Airways Ship 319, a Boeing 737-700 series aircraft delivered on December 14, 2005, and equipped with winglets, took off at 12:01 p.m. full of dignitaries, including Mario Diaz, deputy director of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

"We are honored to participate in the opening of the world's most important runway, Runway 10/28 at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport," said Joe Leonard, AirTran Airways' Chairman and CEO. "On behalf of the 7,000 Crew Members at AirTran Airways, I congratulate Mayor Shirley Franklin, Airport Director Ben DeCosta and Project Director John Boatright for getting this most important new runway completed. The addition of the fifth runway comes just in time for the busy summer travel season, and we are proud to be a part of this historic event."