A century ago, the patch of land that would become the world’s busiest airport was little more than an abandoned racetrack on the south side of Atlanta. On Thursday, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport unveiled a permanent exhibit designed to make sure no one forgets how far the journey has been.
“Blue Skies: 100 Years of the Atlanta Airport” opened to the public in the pedestrian hallway between Concourses D and E on February 26, anchoring the airport’s yearlong centennial celebration with a sprawling, multimedia walk through aviation history. The exhibit is accessible to ticketed passengers past the security checkpoint.
From Candler Field to the World’s Busiest
The exhibit traces the airport’s arc from its 1926 origins as Candler Field — named after Coca-Cola magnate Asa Candler, who had leased the abandoned racetrack property to the city — through its transformation into the global aviation powerhouse that now processes more than 90 million passengers annually.
“Every city has an airport. Atlanta has the airport,” an airport official said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “This exhibit tells the story of how that happened.”
The installation is organized into five chronological sections:
- Dirt and Dreams (1926–1940) — The early years of barnstorming pilots, mail routes, and the first commercial passenger flights out of Atlanta
- Wartime Wings (1941–1945) — The airport’s role as a military logistics hub during World War II
- The Jet Age (1946–1979) — The postwar passenger boom and the construction of the original modern terminal
- Maynard’s Vision (1980–2005) — The opening of the William B. Hartsfield terminal, the Midfield concourse, and the rise to the world’s number-one ranking under a succession of mayors
- Global Gateway (2006–Present) — International expansion, the Maynard H. Jackson International Terminal, and the airport’s economic footprint on the region
Interactive and Immersive
The exhibit goes well beyond framed photographs and placard text. Visitors can explore a full-scale replica of a 1940s-era ticket counter, listen to oral histories recorded by retired Delta Air Lines and Eastern Air Lines employees, and interact with a digital flight map that visualizes every commercial departure from the airport over the course of a single day.
A dedicated section spotlights the workers who keep the airport running — from baggage handlers and fueling crews to air traffic controllers and concessions staff.
“We wanted to honor the people, not just the planes,” said the exhibit’s lead curator. “This airport doesn’t function without 60,000 workers showing up every day.”
CLEAR eGates Arrive at Checkpoints
The centennial unveiling coincided with another modernization milestone: the installation of CLEAR eGates at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints in the domestic terminal.
The biometric verification lanes allow enrolled CLEAR members to verify their identity using facial recognition or iris scans, bypassing the traditional ID-check line and proceeding directly to physical screening.
Airport officials said the eGates are now operational at:
- The main domestic security checkpoint (south terminal)
- Checkpoint T-North near Concourse T
CLEAR enrollment kiosks have been placed adjacent to the gates for travelers who wish to sign up on-site. A standard CLEAR membership runs $199 per year, though the company offers discounted rates for Delta SkyMiles members and active military personnel.
A Year of Celebrations
The Blue Skies exhibit is just one piece of a broader centennial program that Hartsfield-Jackson has planned throughout 2026. Upcoming events include a community open house, an aviation career fair targeting metro Atlanta high school students, and a commemorative art installation in the international terminal.
The airport also announced that a time capsule assembled during the centennial celebrations will be sealed and placed in the terminal later this year, to be opened in 2076.
“A hundred years from now, someone is going to stand in this airport — whatever it looks like then — and open that capsule,” an airport spokesperson said. “We want them to know what this moment felt like.”
The exhibit is free and accessible to all ticketed passengers in the pedestrian hallway between Concourses D and E, past the security checkpoint.
Kira Tomlinson covers entertainment and culture for WACN 21 News. Reach her at ktomlinson@wacn21.com.
