Nine aviation professionals are finalists for the individual honors at the Routes World 2026 Awards, with the winners set to be announced tonight in Frankfurt.
The Individual Leadership Award recognizes those whose leadership has made a significant contribution to route development and the wider aviation industry. The Rising Star Award celebrates emerging talent, highlighting professionals already delivering results and demonstrating potential for future leadership.
This year’s finalists represent airports and airlines across Europe, North America, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Australia. Their achievements span new airline partnerships, network diversification, innovative marketing, commercial negotiations and the use of data to strengthen route business cases. Mentoring and developing colleagues also feature prominently in the submissions.
Both categories have been reviewed and scored by a panel of editorial judges. Today, we profile the four Individual Leadership finalists and five Rising Star contenders, following yesterday’s coverage of the Destination, Airline and Route of the Year shortlists.
The individual honors form part of 11 awards being presented this year, including five airport categories and an Overall Winner. The winners will be revealed during the Routes World Networking Evening on Oct. 22.
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Individual Leadership
Bobby Spann, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, U.S.
Bobby Spann has led air service development at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) since 2011, helping rebuild its network as Delta Air Lines reduced its hub operations. During his tenure, the airport has secured 14 passenger carriers and recorded 102 inaugural flights. As vice president of air service development, Spann combined route analysis with corporate and community partnerships to attract and retain services. His work helped secure British Airways’ London Heathrow route in 2023, with daily flights planned for summer 2027. He also supported cargo development involving DHL Express and Amazon Air, diversifying the airport’s business.
Jonny Macneal, London Gatwick Airport, UK
Jonny Macneal, London Gatwick’s head of aviation development, combined airline relationship-building with staff development during his previous role as head of aviation at Edinburgh Airport. He established Edinburgh’s graduate analyst program, securing internal support, designing recruitment and helping new recruits enter the industry. Working across aviation development and marketing, he helped create targeted campaigns that aligned airline objectives with local demand. Macneal’s long-term engagement with JetBlue began in 2017 and contributed to the launch of New York John F. Kennedy-Edinburgh flights in 2024. Airline partners highlighted his detailed analysis of route business cases and collaborative approach.
Peggy Croes, Curacao International Airport, Curacao
Peggy Croes, Curacao Airport Partners’ senior vice president of aviation market development, has spent more than two decades developing airline networks in Aruba and Curacao. She established Aruba Airport Authority’s air service development department in 2004, building partnerships with tourism organizations, hotels and businesses. At Curacao International Airport (CUR), she helped diversify a network previously dependent on Europe and local carrier InselAir. Added airlines included JetBlue, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Azul and LATAM Airlines, while annual passenger movements doubled over time to 2.5 million. Her wider industry work included tourism committee roles, university lectures and participation in the International Aerospace Womens Association’s Latin American-Caribbean task force.
Shaun Browne, Bristol Airport, UK
Shaun Browne, Bristol Airport’s head of airline relations, has worked at the airport since 1982, progressing through air traffic control, marketing and commercial roles. He helped develop EasyJet’s base from five to 20 aircraft, supporting more than 6.5 million passengers annually, and led engagement to secure Jet2’s Bristol base, which now has eight Boeing 737-800s. His airline retention strategy focused on preserving based aircraft and crews during the industry downturn, supporting the airport’s subsequent recovery. Browne also helped introduce incentives for airlines to deploy quieter, more fuel-efficient aircraft. His leadership included mentoring colleagues and aligning route development with sustainable demand.
Rising Star
Aymeric Le Leizour, Melbourne Airport, Australia
Aymeric Le Leizour, Melbourne Airport’s aviation marketing specialist, supported more than 20 international service launches, resumptions and route announcements during his first four years at the airport. He coordinated 1,135 advertising campaigns across 82 airport digital screens, providing an estimated AU$11.7 million ($8.2 million) in media value for airline and tourism partners. His work also included cooperative campaigns with Webjet, Trip.com and Helloworld, bringing multiple airlines onto shared promotional platforms. In 2025, he led the airport’s first influencer trip to Guangzhou with China Southern Airlines and Guangzhou Tourism, generating more than 529,000 engagements and views.
Rachel Griffiths, Halifax Stanfield International Airport, Canada
Rachel Griffiths, Halifax Stanfield International Airport’s air service development analyst, contributed to every route launched at the airport since 2024, including Edelweiss’ Zurich service and Air Canada’s Bridgetown connection. Drawing on cargo and cruise business development experience at Halifax Port Authority, she built forecasts and route business cases using schedule, traffic and mobile location data. During her three years in air service development, Halifax’s nonstop network expanded from 40 destinations in 2024 to 54 in 2026, with international seat capacity rising 32%. Airline testimonials highlighted her contribution to Porter Airlines’ expansion and Edelweiss’ launch.
Saad Alzamel, Cluster2 Airports Company, Saudi Arabia
Saad Alzamel, Cluster2 Airports Company’s route development specialist, contributed to 26 new routes—eight domestic and 18 international—and the attraction of five airline partners during his first three years in aviation. His work combined demand forecasting, route evaluation and airline business cases across the company’s Saudi airport network. He also supported Flynas’ establishment of operational bases at Abha and Al-Qassim in 2026. Alzamel helped develop proposals bundling multiple routes into a single incentive package and worked on integrating aviation and tourism support with the Saudi Tourism Authority and Air Connectivity Program.
Will Green, Edinburgh Airport, UK
Will Green, Edinburgh Airport’s aviation development manager, progressed from analyst to managing 16 airline partners in 3.5 years. Since 2024, capacity across his portfolio increased 19%, alongside 22 route launches, and he helped secure five new airlines: Aurigny, Pegasus Airlines, Luxair, American Airlines and Icelandair. Green developed analytical models assessing segment-level fares and passenger leakage to strengthen airline business cases. His work to extend transatlantic operating seasons helped increase April services from six in 2025 to 11 in 2026, maintaining an 84% load factor despite 47% more capacity. He also contributed to seasonal and time-of-day airport pricing and long-term airline agreements.
Wojciech Gluch, EasyJet, UK
Wojciech Gluch, EasyJet’s airport development manager, led commercial negotiations supporting the airline’s first African operational base at Marrakech, with three aircraft based year-round. He brought together airport operator ONDA, the Moroccan National Tourist Office and government stakeholders, negotiating a five-year tourism partnership covering summer 2026 through winter 2030. During three years in airport development, Gluch also renegotiated airport, tourism and service-provider agreements across the UK and Europe, helping generate more than £12 million ($15.9 million) in annual recurring savings. Previously, as commercial fleet manager, he led allocation strategy across 28 bases.
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