Minnesota’s Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), which oversees Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP), has promoted Tim Simon to the post of CFO.

Simon previously served as MAC’s VP for finance and revenue development. He will manage MAC’s annual operating budget, which includes $460 million in projected revenue and $392 million in projected expenses.

MAC operates seven airports, the largest being MSP.  Simon joined MAC in 2020 after serving as CFO of the city of St. Louis Park, Minnesota. “Tim has demonstrated a keen eye for long-range planning, credit rating analysis and identifying process improvements that make operations more efficient, which played a critical role in helping us financially navigate the COVID-19 pandemic,” MAC CEO Brian Ryks says. 

“Several significant initiatives are on the horizon for the MAC, including implementing the organization’s 2023-29 capital improvement program and 2023-27 strategic plan, and I’m excited to shape the future financial success of these and other programs,” Simon says.

MSP reported handling 31.2 million passengers in 2022, equivalent to 79% of 2019 passenger volumes. The airport says total nonstop destinations grew from 137 at the end of 2021 to 145 at the end of 2022 “due to a combination of new routes and returning destinations previously paused during the pandemic.”

According to MSP, Delta had a leading 71% market share at the airport in 2022, well ahead of second-placed Sun Country Airlines. The hometown LCC had an 11% share.

Canada’s WestJet revealed Feb. 13 that it will open service between Edmonton (YEG) and MSP with 5X-weekly service starting in June. MSP says WestJet will become the 16th airline serving the airport.

Airlines are scheduled to serve 154 destinations—127 domestic and 27 international—from MSP in 2023. The airport notes that after a 17-year stretch in which regional jets were the most flown aircraft at the airport, the Boeing 737-800 and Airbus A321 both finished ahead of the Bombardier CRJ900 in terms of 2022 flights at MSP. “Airlines are using aircraft with more seats per flight across their route networks,” the airport reports.