{"id":6362,"date":"2017-02-14T11:00:57","date_gmt":"2017-02-14T16:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.atl.com\/?p=6362"},"modified":"2017-02-23T09:34:06","modified_gmt":"2017-02-23T14:34:06","slug":"atl-enters-sister-airport-agreement-with-jamaica-airports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.atl.com\/atl\/atl-enters-sister-airport-agreement-with-jamaica-airports\/","title":{"rendered":"ATL enters Sister Airport Agreement with Jamaica Airports"},"content":{"rendered":"

Government leaders from the City of Atlanta and Jamaica gather for the signing of the Sister Airport Agreement Feb. 9. From left to right: Chief of Staff for Mayor Kasim Reed Candace Hall, Interim Deputy General Manager Greg Richardson; Jamaica Minister of Transport Lester Michael Henry, Airports Authority of Jamaica President Audley Deidrick, and the Honorable Franz Hall, Consul General of Jamaica to the Southeastern United States. Photos by The Decisive Moment Photojournalism<\/p><\/div>\n

By Anika Robertson
\nSenior Editor\/Assistant Public Relations Manager<\/em><\/b><\/p>\n

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Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport officials on Feb. 9 signed a Sister Airport Agreement with the Airports Authority of Jamaica, forging a relationship built on cooperation and the open exchange of ideas to increase efficiencies and boost travel and trade.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeyond making these amazing airports better, this agreement will help strengthen the ties that exist between our two great nations, promoting international understanding and goodwill,\u201d said Interim Deputy General Manager and Chief Financial Officer Greg Richardson.<\/p>\n

The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) drew attendees from the City of Atlanta, Jamaica and Delta Air Lines as well as Consular Corps representatives from the Caribbean islands of Barbados, Guyana, Haiti and The Bahamas.<\/p>\n

The Airports Authority of Jamaica oversees Norman Manley International Airport (KIN) in Kingston as well as Sangster International Airport (MBJ) in Montego Bay on the island nation.<\/p>\n

Candace Byrd, chief of staff for Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, said the friendly relations between Atlanta and Jamaica can be attributed to longstanding commonalities.<\/p>\n

\u201cAtlanta and Montego Bay, which has Jamaica\u2019s largest aerotropolis, are major logistics hubs,\u201d she said. \u201cBoth our economies have strong export activities and are popular tourist centers. We also share a strong commitment to education, health and cultural expression.\u201d<\/p>\n

Under the leadership of former Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson, the\u00a0City of Atlanta signed a sister city agreement with the City of Montego Bay in 1972. The current MOU \u2013 fittingly signed in the Maynard H. Jackson Jr. International Terminal \u2013 expands the partnership by establishing an \u201cexchange of ideas and information to increase passenger and cargo traffic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Airports Authority of Jamaica President Audley Deidrick said his country\u2019s relationship established with Atlanta four decades ago served as the foundation for the MOU.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ATL-AAJ Sister Airport MOU also presents in a sense an extension of the Atlanta Montego Bay sister city relationship,\u201d he said. \u201cThese objectives will be pursued through the establishment of a technical working group or working groups for exchange of these educational visits and act as goodwill ambassadors between the airports.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the signing, Jamaica Minister of Transport and Mining Lester Michael Henry paid tribute to the memory of Jackson and his visionary leadership that advanced ATL as a prominent international hub.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have shown through the work of ancestors that you can deliver a whole development here [in Atlanta], outside the realm of what was the basic economic structure,\u201d Henry said. \u201cAs I adopt open skies, as I sign all the agreements that are necessary \u2026 I am seeking to ensure that we take our rightful place back in the connectivity of the transport of goods and services across the globe and create a whole new vision for Jamaica.\u201d<\/p>\n

The agreement marks the fourth MOU signed by the City of Atlanta with sister airports. ATL signed similar agreements with Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV), Monse\u00f1or \u00d3scar Arnulfo Romero International Airport (SAL) in El Salvador and F\u00e9lix-Houphou\u00ebt-Boigny International Airport (ABJ) in Abidjan, Cote d\u2019Ivoire.<\/p>\n

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