One of the largest and busiest airports in the world is run by a black woman.
Deborah Ale Flint has served as the CEO of the Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), which owns and operates LAX and Van Nuys Airports, since 2015 after she was appointed by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.
LAX serves more than 80 million passengers a year, making it one of the busiest airports in the world and in the United States.
During her time as CEO, Flint has transformed the airport to help enhance the experience of passengers traveling through Southern California. Her biggest accomplishment since joining LAWA is securing the largest public works agreements in the history of Los Angeles with the Landside Access Modernization Program (LAMP).
LAMP is a $5.5 billion solution aimed to fix the crowded roadways and curbsides at and around LAX.
In addition, Ale Flint has been recognized for taking the lead on the modernization of LAX, which includes revamping terminals, replacing outdated equipment, expanding taxi lanes, improving security systems, and more, as reported in Biz Journals.
“I’m excited about what is happening at LAX,” Ale Flint told the publication. “I look at it as both a challenge and opportunity because we are poised to reinvent the passenger experience at LAX.”
Prior To LAWA
Ale Flint came to LAWA from the Port of Oakland where she had held the position of aviation director since 2010, her bio explains.
While there, she delivered the $480-milliion BART Airport Rail project; executed strategies to stabilize and redesigned OAK’s customer experience to make the airport more competitive.
Moving On
In April 2020, Ale Flint will step down from her role in Los Angeles to serve as President and CEO of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority –which operates the largest and busiest airport in Canada.
“It is bittersweet to be leaving LAWA, but, as a Canadian-born airport executive, I am looking forward to this homecoming and to leading Toronto Pearson, a rising and notable star on the international airport stage,” Flint said in a statement.
