Hartsfield Jackson get $1 million to study expansion

A new study by the Federal Aviation Administration warns airports around the country to expand, otherwise they won't be able to meet the growing demand for international air travel and freight.

The study comes on the first anniversary of Atlanta's Hartsfield Jackson expanded fifth runway and coincides with a $1-million dollar grant to the airport.

Atlanta's Hartsfield Jackson airport joins nearly 2 dozen others across the country with limited choices: expand or perish.

The $1-millon dollar grant from the federal Department of Transportation will fund the first ever airport expansion feasibility study.

Federal Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters says one other option metro areas should consider is converting dormant military bases to civilian use.

"Make no mistake, building a handful of airports is not enough to get us off the hook. Our new report shows that by 2025, 15 metropolitian areas won't have the ability to handle the demand for flights unless they move forward with planned improvement."

Ben DeCosta is general manager for Hartsfield Jackson. DeCosta supports regional expansion but says, an additional runway at Hartfield Jackson is not an option.

"We'll look at everything and see what's in the best interests of our region. It's something that local leaders will have to address, not only in the best interest of the local economy but in the best interests of the region and the nation."

In 2006, nearly 100 million people passed through the terminals at Hartsfield Jackson. Airport officials say a burgeoning international travel market makes a second airport essential to the region's economic viability.

A feasibility study on just where a second airport might be located is still years away.

Meanwhile, as construction continues at Hartsfield Jackson, airport officials contemplate doubling the passenger facility fee to $7-dollars. That's the amount passengers pay above the actual ticket price. Hartsfield officials say the money is an important source of funding airport construction.