Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport has announced the return of direct flights to Wakanda in honour of the Black Panther movie sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, released in the United States on November 11.
It tweeted: “Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) announces a return to international service with direct flights to Wakanda. This non-stop service on Flight CHBZ will depart from the Maynard H. Jackson International Terminal from gate F8 at 7:30 pm this evening.”
Passengers immediately tweeted in response that they had anticipated the announcement, claiming they had already booked their flights and were ready for departure to the fictitious African country featuring in the movie.
The airport’s tongue-in-cheek tweet is also a tribute to the fact that the movie franchise was mostly filmed in the Atlanta metropolitan area.
The airport first announced direct flights to the fictional city through social media as it showed flight ATL 1234 bound for Wakanda back in February 2018, when Black Panther made its debut. Passengers enjoyed the humour, many claiming they would be paying with Vibranium, the fictional metal found in Wakanda and the airport responded, saying the flight accepted all currencies.
The difference between this year’s flight and the one in 2019 is the flight number: In 2018 it was AL 1234, but this year it is CHBZ, a tribute to the movie’s late actor Chadwick Bosman.