Regional Airport Authority

Regional Airport Authority Overview

airplane-sunset

The Louisville Regional Airport Authority (LRAA) is an autonomous municipal corporation established by KY state statute that is responsible for owning, operating and developing Louisville International Airport (SDF) and Bowman Field (LOU).

Much like a private corporation, the Authority is self-funded and derives operating revenue from a variety of user fees. The Authority does not receive local or state funding for the routine operations of either airport.

The forerunner of the Louisville Regional Airport Authority was established in 1928 by the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s General Assembly and is believed to be the first airport to use the authority-type governance in the United States.

Governance

Board of Directors

An 11-member Board of Directors sets policy, approves the budget and hires the executive director, who serves as the organization’s chief executive officer and governs the Authority. The Board is comprised of the Mayor of Louisville, seven mayoral appointees and three gubernatorial appointees-one of which is a member of the Airport Neighbors Alliance Executive Committee. The board members serve four-year staggered terms without compensation. Click here to view minutes of the Louisville Regional Airport Authority Board Meetings from 2017 to present.

2019 Louisville Regional Airport Authority Board Meeting Schedule

Board Members

Jim Welch – Chair

Mary Rose Evans – Vice Chair

Lesa Seibert – Secretary/Treasurer

Greg Fischer – Mayor

Dale Boden
William Byrley
Toni Clem
Nikki R. Jackson
Earl F. Jones, Jr.
Pat MacDonald
John Moore

Dan Mann, A.A.E. – Executive Director

The executive director of the Louisville Regional Airport Authority is Dan Mann. Mann came to Louisville on March 5, 2018 from the Columbia Metropolitan Airport in Columbia, SC, where he served as Executive Director (CEO) for more than eight years. He has also served as the Executive Director for the Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids, IA and Natrona County International Airport in Casper, WY. As executive director for the Airport Authority, Mann implements board policies and oversees a staff of about 200 who handle day-to-day operations, maintenance and administration.

As a long-time leader in aviation organizations, Mann served on the Board of Examiners of the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), the Board of the Iowa Public Airports Association, was the state representative for the Great Lakes Chapter of AAAE, and is past President of both the Northwest Chapter of AAAE and the Wyoming Airport Operators Association. He is also an Accredited Airport Executive (AAE) through AAAE and has his Private Pilot Certification.

Powering the Regional Economy

Louisville International Airport and Bowman Field comprise the largest employment center in Louisville Metro. Growth at the airports translates into additional jobs, payroll, business expenditures and construction projects, as well as generating additional local and state tax revenues for the region.

The Airports also fuel the economy by helping retain and attract business, conventions and tourists. They provide access to world markets overnight and connect passengers to world destinations quickly.
In 2014, Louisville’s airports generated recurring economic impacts of: