On May 3, Mayor Kasim Reed officially opened the new international terminal Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which will be open for use beginning May 16. At the airport's request, the Consulate-General of Japan in Atlanta, along with other nation's consulates, set up a booth displaying dolls for the Japanese festival Children's Day.

    Many dignitaries attended the opening ceremony and made remarks, including Aviation General Manager Louis E. Miller, Mayor Kasim Reed, Governor Nathan Deal, and Delta Air Lines CEO Richard H. Anderson. This was followed by remarks by the wife of former mayor Maynard H. Jackson Jr., who had first proposed building the new terminal. Their four daughters were then introduced, and they assisted Mayor Reed with the unveiling ceremony of a portrait of Mayor Jackson. After the opening ceremony and ribbon-cutting, the nearly 1,000 guests in attendance were treated to a reception and tour of the facility.

    It should be emphasized that the opening of the new terminal will increase the efficiency of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, said to be the busiest airport in the world, and should put Atlanta on par with Miami in terms of its connection to Central and South America. With the various nations' Flag Raising Ceremony on April 16, "Readiness Test" conducted on May 2 by 1,600 volunteers, and the tour for the general public on May 4, it looks like all systems are go for the official opening on May 16.