Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport CEO McGraw Starts Term As ACI World Chair

Candace McGraw, the longtime CEO of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), has become the new Airports Council International (ACI) World chair.

McGraw served as vice chair of the board for the past two years. Jost Lammers, CEO of Munich Airport, will serve as ACI World vice chair for the next two years.

McGraw became CEO of CVG in June 2011. CVG is a significant cargo airport, serving as home to Amazon Air’s primary hub and DHL Express’ U.S. hub.

ACI World ranked CVG as the 17th-busiest cargo airport in the world in 2022, with cargo traffic rising 16.8% to 1.8 million metric tons. CVG says it will jump to the 12th-busiest cargo airport in the world when 2023 numbers are released later this year.

The airport handled 7.3 million passengers in the first 10 months of 2023, up 15.5% over the same period in 2022. It handled 1.7 million metric tons of cargo in the first 10 months of 2023, up 7% over the same period in 2022.

“Guided by [McGraw’s] vision, we are confident that our organization will chart a course toward a bright future and unlock new horizons in our mission to elevate the interests of airports worldwide,” ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira says in a statement. “Our industry faces a crossroads, a balancing act between soaring demand for air travel and the urgent need for sustainable aviation.”

McGraw has been a member of the ACI board since 2018. “Nothing is more important to me than the future of this industry,” she says. “Whether thinking about the long-term needs of ACI, how we can be a strong partner in the global aviation industry, or what we can do to accelerate the adoption of practices to ensure sustainable aviation, we are stronger as one.”