Airport director says he wants a transition plan for retirement
airport authority.
While the recoveries of passenger numbers, flights and destinations have been pushed by tourism and other leisure travel, the amount
RICARDO RAMIREZ BUXEDA/ORLANDO SENTINEL of international travel lags far behind and passengers from cruise ships have yet to return.
“There is still, to use my dad’s old phrase, a lot of wood left to chop,” Brown said just before reminding the board that his employment contract ends in September.
“There are a lot of issues that are unresolved and
I don’t expect them to be resolved by the end of September,” Brown said. “If the board is willing, I’m willing to sit down and work out some terms for an extension beyond September. What that looks like, I don’t know.”
Brown went on to recommend hiring an executive search firm to consider internal and external candidates.
Orlando International is the state’s busiest airport by passengers, and prior to the pandemic was the nation’s 10th busiest. Also before the onset of COVID last year, nearly 20,000 people worked at the airport in south Orange County.
“I think we need to give everybody a fair shot,” Brown said. “I don’t have any favorites. I’m not going to get involved in trying to select who it is but I think it’s incumbent on me to help you all develop a process for a transition.”
Brown did not suggest target dates for the hiring of a new director or his departure. But the authority’s chairman, Carson Good, referred to what apparently had been a previous discussion with the airport director.
“I think what you said is, you would extend for a year after September,” Good said. Brown quickly responded with “we can work the terms out.”