OREANDA-NEWS. December 29, 2015. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport reached a major milestone with the arrival of a Delta flight from Gulfport-Biloxi on Sunday, and both local and national media took notice.

Larry Kendrick, declared the airport’s 100 millionth passenger of the year – a record for any airport - was greeted by Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and other dignitaries. The Biloxi man was awarded a Nissan Altima, two Delta tickets to anywhere in the world and other prizes. The city-owned airport has hired an accounting firm to confirm the accomplishment, Atlanta’s WSB-TV reported.

ATL is Delta’s home airport and its largest hub so it came as no surprise that it was a Delta customer who was dubbed the lucky 100 millionth. As Delta has grown into a global player, so has Hartsfield-Jackson. It’s the world’s busiest airport by passenger volume.

“It’s not because Atlanta has wonderful concessions or a brand new terminal,” airline consultant Mike Boyd told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It’s decisions made by Delta Air Lines, period.”