Candace McGraw, CEO of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, is preparing to retire next year, but anyone who thinks she’s slowing down is wrong.
The airport is investing hundreds of millions of dollars in a new ticket counter configuration, an expanded security area and a modernized baggage system. The construction is expected to take five years to complete. The airport was able to secure the high-profile direct flight from British Airways to London.
And that’s on top of the progress the airport has made since McGraw took over in 2011, adding low-cost airlines and becoming a dual cargo hub with one of the largest DHL hubs in the world and an Amazon air hub.
Nevertheless, McGraw has her eye on the future, which she believes is all about regionalism.
McGraw spoke about the past and the future on the Enquirer’s “That’s So Cincinnati” podcast. A search firm is working on the search for the next CEO, who is expected to be announced later this fall.
Airports are for vacations and visiting family, but they are also for business development, says McGraw.
“To me, aviation should be looked at regionally,” McGraw said. “What can it do for this whole part of the country?” And that means thinking beyond CVG. The airport already manages Oxford Airport, and McGraw, who served on the Cincinnati Futures Commission, is interested in the recommendation that CVG lease and manage Lunken Airport. But it goes further.
“We can talk about a project that I’m really excited about, which is how we connect Dayton and Louisville together with CVG,” McGraw said. “We all need to work together to focus on aviation as a development area.”
Although the idea is still in its early stages, the airport has commissioned the consulting firm EY to conduct a study.
She sees it as three parts:
- Dayton is rich in aviation, with Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and new efforts to develop advanced air mobility. “These are, you know, the Jetsons, the flying cars,” McGraw said.
- CVG with its two freight hubs and its passenger traffic.
- Louisville International Airport has a UPS cargo center.
“For me, it’s all connected,” McGraw said. “I don’t want to compete with Dayton and Columbus. I don’t want to compete with Louisville. I want to compete with the rest of the world. We’re the only place where those three cargo centers are within an hour and 15 minutes of each other. And then there’s this great research and great work being done in advanced air mobility.”
McGraw said there have been meetings between the heads of each company to discuss possible collaboration.
“How can we support each other in each of our areas or projects and how can we market and expand this together?” said McGraw. “This is truly my passion project.”
Missed last week’s episode? No problem. Listen here. Follow Cincinnati.com editor Beryl Love on X @beryllove and City Hall reporter Sharon Coolidge @SharonCoolidge.
