Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced the departure of John Selden as general manager of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).
Selden took the helm of the world’s busiest and most efficient airport in October of 2018.
“When John took the helm at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, we were flying 2,700 flights and serving close to 300,000 passengers daily,” Bottoms said. “No one could have imagined that a global pandemic would hit the travel industry as hard as it did.”
“Still, with John’s leadership, our frontline workers kept our airport ready for recovery and our operations staff focused on customer service and our multibillion-dollar capital improvement program. We are sad to see him go, but very happy for him and his future endeavors.”
The airport recently was awarded two airport service quality awards by the Airports Council International (ACI).
It is consistently recognized for its exceptional concessions offerings, sustainability program and architectural engineering. It has been the world’s busiest passenger airport for 21 years running.
Selden, a former Navy Commander and commercial pilot, has accepted a position in the middle east and will be leaving sometime in April.
With more than 30 years of aviation experience, he came to ATL from a previous stint as deputy general manager for John F. Kennedy Airport in New York.
At Hartsfield-Jackson Selden was responsible for airport operations as well as the major modernization project that will prepare the facility for growth over the next 20 years.
“Coming to Atlanta is one of the best career decisions I’ve made,” said John Selden, ATL general manager. “It has been an honor to serve with Mayor Bottoms and to lead such an exceptional group of people who help make the Atlanta airport one of the very best in the world.”
Hartsfield-Jackson is the state’s largest employer and brings a $82-billion-dollar economic impact to the southeast region.
Selden’s replacement will be named at a later date.
