Oakland airport director nominated to head Los Angeles World Airports

The head of Oakland International Airport was nominated Wednesday to become the next executive director of Los Angeles World Airports, the operator of LAX.

Mayor Eric Garcetti has selected Deborah Ale Flint as the replacement for Gina Marie Lindsey, who will step down later this month after eight years overseeing the city’s airport department and the ongoing modernization of Los Angeles International Airport.

Her appointment must be approved by the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners, which is scheduled to vote Thursday on her nomination, and the City Council.

Ale Flint has been responsible for the operation, management and business development of Oakland International, a midsized airport that handled 10.3 million passengers last year. She oversaw capital projects, improvements in customer service and a new Bay Area Rapid Transit connection to the airport. She holds a bachelor of science degree in business from San Jose State University.

“I am honored by the opportunity to join Mayor Garcetti’s administration,” Ale Flint said. “I am looking forward to working with him, the commissioners, the entire LAWA team and our neighbors to shape the future of air transportation for Los Angeles and the greater region.”

If approved, Ale Flint will join Los Angeles World Airports amid an $8.5-billion modernization of LAX, now the second-busiest airport in the nation.

She also will have to deal with struggling L.A./Ontario International Airport, which has lost more than 40% of its passengers since 2007. The city of Ontario is now trying to wrest control of the facility from Los Angeles, which acquired the airport from that city in 1985.

Los Angeles World Airports also operates Van Nuys Airport, one of the largest general aviation airports in the country. Flight operations have been declining at the facility for years.

“Deborah Ale Flint is the right aviation executive to lead the changes we are making, including overhauling nearly every terminal, bringing rail to LAX, growing passenger activity at L.A./Ontario airport and adding new customs service at Van Nuys Airport,” Garcetti said.

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