LAX to Get Seattle Airport Chief

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L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is expected Thursday to tap the former head of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Gina Marie Lindsey, as the next chief of L.A. ‘s airport system. Lindsey would replace Lydia Kennard, who stepped down in January to return to the private sector.

During her 11 years as aviation director at Seattle-Tacoma airport, Lindsey oversaw a $3 billion capital improvement project, including the construction of a new runway, demolition and reconstruction of a terminal and several other major renovations. She also brought the airport back into operation after a 6.8 magnitude earthquake in 2001 caused significant damage. Later that year, she presided over the shutdown and the re-opening of the airport in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.


“In searching for a new executive director, we knew we needed someone with experience, with an ability to build bridges and with a vision for moving the area’s airports forward,” Villaraigosa said. “And we found the perfect candidate in Gina Marie Lindsey.”

After leaving the Seattle-Tacoma post in 2004, Lindsey moved to Washington D.C. with her husband and joined the lobbying firm of McBee Strategic Consulting.

Lindsey, one of about a dozen candidates considered for the Los Angeles World Airports post, will help craft a multibillion dollar modernization plan for Los Angeles International Airport. The airport has already begun with the expansion of the south runway and an overhaul of the Tom Bradley International Terminal.


Lindsey will also have to confront declining international airport traffic as carriers increasingly bypass LAX. And she will have to balance the interests of the region’s economy with concerns from local residents over any plans to modernize the airport.


Besides LAX, Los Angeles World Airports also oversees the Los Angeles-Ontario International Airport and the Los Angeles-Palmdale airfield, as well as the Van Nuys general aviation airport. Villaraigosa is expected to assign Lindsey the task of promoting growth at both Ontario and Palmdale as part of a strategy to regionalize local air travel.

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Howard Fine
Howard Fine is a 23-year veteran of the Los Angeles Business Journal. He covers stories pertaining to healthcare, biomedicine, energy, engineering, construction, and infrastructure. He has won several awards, including Best Body of Work for a single reporter from the Alliance of Area Business Publishers and Distinguished Journalist of the Year from the Society of Professional Journalists.

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