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Mann leaving Columbia airport to take Louisville position

Staff Report //January 18, 2018//

Mann leaving Columbia airport to take Louisville position

Staff Report //January 18, 2018//

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Columbia Metropolitan Airport executive director Dan Mann is stepping down to become executive director of the Louisville Regional Airport Authority in Louisville, Kentucky. He will begin his new job in March.

Mann has been in charge of the Columbia airport since February 2010. During his tenure, the airport’s overall cost per passenger dropped from $12 to $9 and its debt shrank from $155 per passenger to $75, according to a news release.

Mann also oversaw five consecutive years of passenger growth and led a $58 million capital improvement program that included the construction of a new fire station, the development of a five-acre solar farm on the airport campus and the installation of LED lighting throughout the terminal.

“I’m very proud to have been a part of the CAE team,” Mann said. “This is a remarkable group of professionals, and we’ve been able to make a tangible impact on the Columbia Metropolitan Airport.”

Before he came to Columbia, Mann was executive director of the Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids and manager of the airport in Casper, Wyoming.

In his new position, Mann will oversee the Louisville International Airport, which boasts more than 1.6 million enplanements, and Bowman Field, the busiest general aviation airport in the state. The Louisville Regional Airport Authority is also home to UPS’s all-points international air express hub, Worldport.

“Since day one, Dan has said that his objective is to (create) the best small hub airport in the country,” said Jim Compton, chair of the Richland-Lexington Airport Commission. “He has been steadfast in that commitment, and the results speak for themselves. He leaves our airport on sound financial footing and with well-established relationships with our partners and stakeholders.”

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