Car thefts at Atlanta airport have more than tripled in past year, new data shows

ATLANTA — As officials at the Atlanta airport prepare for a busy holiday season, new crime data shows how flyers are having to deal with more baggage than just their carry-ons.

Car thefts at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International have more than tripled since 2023, according to data from the Atlanta Police Department

Now, Atlanta police will be at the airport in bigger numbers for the busy holiday travel season.

Channel 2 Action News has reported on car thefts, and how they’ve spiked, before. But now, new numbers show just how much the thefts have ramped up.

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From Jan. 1, 2023 to Dec. 31, 2023, there were 95 car thefts at the airport.

In 2024, there have already been 311 car thefts as of Nov. 3.

Speaking during a holiday travel briefing, APD Hartsfield Commander Major Kelley Collier addressed the huge increase in car thefts from airport lots on Tuesday.

“We have increased our presence in the terminal and parking areas,” Collier said.

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On top of the 311 vehicle thefts so far, there have also been 62 reported thefts from vehicles at the airport, APD data shows.

Seven vehicles also had parts or accessories taken from them.

In the past few years, data from Atlanta police shows how car thefts have continued to rise. There was a minor dip from 2022 to 2023: 101 cars were stolen in 2022 from the airport, according to the data.

The year before, there were only 67 vehicles stolen. That means that from 2021 to 2024, there was a more than 360% increase in car thefts.

The APD data also shows that there have been 3,607 vehicle thefts in Atlanta this year, as of Nov. 5. Thefts at the airport accounted for about 8.6%.

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