Andrew Davis, director of Worcester Regional Airport, will retire in July after 18 years leading the airport.
The Massachusetts Port Authority, which has owned the airport since 2010, is searching for his replacement, the agency said Wednesday.
Davis took the helm at the Worcester airport after spending 25 years at American Airlines, where he worked fresh out of college and advanced his way to a general manager position. During that time, he worked at a dozen different airports across the United States, largely in customer service positions.
The position at the Worcester Regional Airport was a homecoming. Davis grew up in Rhode Island, attended college at the now-defunct aviation-focused Hawthorne College in New Hampshire, and had worked in cities across New England, he said in an interview with WBJ at the time of his hiring.
At the time, the airport had one passenger airline, Direct Air of South Carolina. That airline filed for bankruptcy and shut down in 2012. Since then, Davis has overseen an airport whose travel has ebbed and flowed, including a full commercial service stoppage during the coronavirus pandemic, and, of course, the official purchase of the airport by Massport in 2010. On the eve of Davis’ departure, the airport is served by three major carriers: American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and JetBlue Airways.
During his tenure, Davis maintained an optimistic attitude about the small airport’s future and capabilities. In November, he announced incentive programs to waive fees and provide marketing support for airlines in an effort to attract new airlines and expand service options. On the heels of this announcement, Massport said it wanted to double its passenger use by 2035 and expand the airport’s cargo operations. In keeping with that vision, Massport plans to add 245 overflow parking spots at the airport.
Davis’ replacement will be tasked with overseeing these plans.
“No new airports are being built, no new runways are being built, and the population is still growing,” he told WBJ in 2008. “The opportunity for growth is now in the 495 beltway, so this is a prime location.”
Monica Benevides is a correspondent for Worcester Business Journal.
