Tampa International Airport CEO Retires

Tampa International Airport’s long-serving CEO, Joe Lopano, who has led the airport since January 2011, revealed his retirement plans on Thursday. While he will continue in his role until a new CEO is appointed, the airport’s board of directors has initiated the search for his successor.

Lopano is credited with helping to transform Tampa International, overseeing a multi-billion dollar expansion, including a new Rental Car Center and SkyConnect train system, and adding a significant amount of international connections to the airport, including Edelweiss Air to Zurich, Copa Airlines to Panama City, and Virgin Atlantic to London Heathrow.

During his tenure, Tampa International also become the first airport in the U.S. to offer on-side COVID testing for departing and arriving passengers.

“As with everything we do at Tampa International Airport, I want to look ahead to our future and be proactive in meeting the needs of this Airport and the Tampa Bay community,” Lopano said on Thursday. “With the Board’s guidance and an amazingly talented staff in place, I have no doubt we’ll be in excellent hands as we advance our mission of fostering prosperity for our community well into the future.”

The CEO search will exclusively consider internal candidates, something that the board voted on Thursday. The selection process is expected to take several months.