Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Aviation General Manager Miguel Southwell was let go by Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed on Friday, just two years after being tapped to lead the world’s busiest airport.
Reed said in a statement Southwell’s service “has ended” but did not give reasons for the decision. Neither Southwell nor Reed could immediately be reached for comment.
“I want to thank Mr. Southwell for his service to the city of Atlanta and the travelers at the world’s busiest passenger airport,” Reed said in the statement.
Roosevelt Council, ATL’s chief financial officer and deputy general manager, will serve as interim general manager of the airport.
Southwell was tapped for the aviation general manger position in May 2014. He replaced Louis Miller, who held the position for three years before retiring in 2014.
The management shuffle comes at a time when ATL, like many major airports around the country, has been making headlines due to long waits for travelers passing through security checkpoints. Southwell had been under pressure to help ease the bottlenecks that had passengers waiting, often for an hour or more, to clear security.
The airport has also struggled to find a solution that would allow transportation network companies such as Uber and Lyft to legally operate at ATL. According to published reports, the negotiations have prompted volatile public meetings in recent months.
Separately, Delta Air Lines has objected to the expansion of foreign carriers, particularly Middle Eastern carriers, at ATL, claiming certain carriers are growing due to unfair government subsidies in their home countries. Qatar Airways is launching its first flight at ATL next month.
Despite the ongoing competition complaints, ATL announced last month that the city had signed a new 20-year lease agreement with Delta Air Lines, its largest carrier. Among many facets of the deal, Delta agreed to keep the airline’s corporate headquarters in Atlanta through 2036.
ATL said the agreement “sets in motion” the airport’s $6 billion capital improvement program, which includes plans to modernize the domestic terminal, expand cargo operations, expand concourses, replace aging parking facilities and construct a world-class hotel and mixed-use development.
