ACI makes North American and UN appointments

Gavin Lipsith

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The airports association has announced a new president for its North American organisation and a new Montreal bureau chief

Airports Council International—North America has appointed Gregory Principato as the association's president, effective July 1. Chief among his tasks will be to expand public, press and policymaker awareness of the role airports play in the region's transportation network and economy.

Principato has more than 25 years' experience in the North American aviation industry, and he played a key role in the transfer of Reagan National and Washington Dulles airports from federal control to the control of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, as well as working to increase international service at Dulles. In later roles he helped negotiate air service agreements between the US and Japan, and participated in the formation of an international airline alliance.

He said: "At this critical time, I look forward to working with the ACI-NA staff and board to strengthen the air transportation system, to ensure that airport perspectives are clearly heard and understood, and to make certain that airports can continue to make their important contribution to the nation's economic well-being."

Meanwhile Airports Council International (ACI) has appointed Anne McGinley as director of its Montreal bureau, charged with promoting the interests of ACI members at the United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

McGinley has served in several roles at ICAO and more recently as head of the Air Navigation Services Division in Ireland's Department of Public Enterprise. She replaces Roderick Heitmeyer, who recently retired after representing ACI at ICAO for 10 years.

"It will be an exciting challenge to represent the international airport community at a time when traffic growth is stretching our infrastructure capacity" said McGinley. "We must work on common safety, security, economic and environmental issues, as well as the specific needs related to mature, developing and high-growth aviation markets."