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Tampa International Airport CEO previews Airside D, cites $11 billion annual impact ahead of retirement
Summary
TPA CEO Joe Lupano told the Pinellas County Tourist Development Council on March 19 that passenger and route growth will continue, highlighted the Airside D international expansion and confirmed his upcoming retirement and leadership handoff.
Joe Lupano, chief executive officer of Tampa International Airport, told the Pinellas County Tourist Development Council on March 19 that the airport is preparing for continued passenger growth and expanded international service as he prepares to retire.
"According to FDOT, we generate $11,000,000,000 each and every year," Lupano said, describing the airport as a self-sustaining regional economic engine. He told the council he will retire after the airport's April board meeting and that Michael Stevens, an internal candidate, will succeed him.
Lupano described a multiyear capital program and the new Airside D project now under construction. He said Airside D will be a two-level, 16-gate facility with international-capable gates, two airline lounges and a dedicated U.S. Customs and Border Protection arrivals area. "It's the first new airside at TPA in nearly 20 years," Lupano said. Delta has agreed to be the anchor tenant and will build a Sky Club in the new facility, he said.
He also reviewed recent route growth and operational metrics: the airport serves more than 100 nonstop destinations (including about 21 international markets), handles roughly 600 flight operations daily on peak days during spring break and continues to expand West Coast and Latin-American links. "We have 3,300,000 passengers expected between March 1 and April 6," Lupano said when describing the spring-break period.
On security and passenger experience, Lupano pointed to short wait times at checkpoints. "The average TSA PreCheck wait time is less than 2 minutes," he said, and added standard screening waits generally run under eight minutes.
Council members and local officials praised the airport's regional approach to route development and co‑marketing partnerships with Pinellas and Hillsborough counties; Commissioner Dave Eggers, who thanked Lupano for his leadership, called TPA a "regional asset, not Tampa's airport." The presentation emphasized the airport's role in attracting international flights and feeding broader tourism growth in Pinellas County.
The council did not take formal action on airport matters; the presentation was informational.
Lupano urged continued regional coordination on route development and thanked local tourism partners for supporting the airport's ambassador program that trains volunteers to greet and direct arriving visitors.
Council members said they expect to invite TPA's incoming CEO to council meetings in the months ahead.
