In this two part interview, Augusta CEO sits down with Herbert Judon, the new Executive Director of the Augusta Regional Airport. According to Cedric Johnson, Chairman, Augusta Aviation Commission, "Herbert stood out as the best match for the Augusta Regional Airport as we move forward.” 

Part one of Augusta CEO’s interview covered Judon’s background and experience during the rapid expansion of Charlotte’s airport as well as the current state of aviation in the CSRA. 

Part two of Augusta CEO’s interview will cover Judon’s vision along with the challenges and opportunities in the CSRA. 

First of all, what does an executive director of an airport do? What exactly are your responsibilities?

 “The Executive Director acts as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the Airport having responsibility for the overall management and administration of the Airport. He has to be an effective team builder that can communicate his vision for the Airport to his team. He then must direct and coordinate the work of the team to ensure that vision becomes reality. The Director is responsible for everything from safety and security to maintaining and building infrastructure to growing and financing the business all while operating within a highly regulated industry.   

And the Augusta Regional Airport does not have the power to set ticket rates, correct?

“Correct, each airline sets its fares although there are various airline and local market factors which can impact ticket prices.  Examples of these factors can include demand to and from particular cities, competition from other carriers, and times of travel (e.g., days of the week or time of year).  Fortunately, over the past several years we have experienced an average overall reduction in ticket prices when flying out of Augusta.  We encourage our customers to visit our website at www.flyags.com and utilize our travel calculator to compare fares and other expenses out of Augusta versus other airports in our region. 

How is the Augusta Regional Airport funded?

“Our Airport is a department of Augusta Richmond County. We are completely self-sustaining and receive no local general fund tax dollars. The Airport is funded by rents and fees from tenants and users including parking fees, rents and landing fees from the airlines, fuel sales, etc. “We often describe an airport as a landlord or a mall developer. We own the facility and we lease space to our tenants. Our tenants include airlines, rental car agencies, concessionaires, aircraft owners and others. Those tenants enter into special agreements with the Airport that define the parameters of operations and define the rents and fees which support the Airport and its operations.

How important is the Augusta Regional Airport to the community and to business?

“Airports can be economic engines for communities. In Augusta we have many businesses that require air service including the military, the medical community and the nuclear industry to name just a few. Our Airport is a vital cog to these businesses allowing them to do business around the world. Having a viable airport is a tremendous asset for local residents planning a vacation as well. It means no long drives to distant cities to catch a flight, no long ticket lines or security lines at large airports, close and convenient parking, and best of all, a short drive home at the end of the trip. Having a local airport with good service and connecting flights is important to the community and a source of great pride.” 

What is the process of courting carriers to expand flights and even locate here? What are the considerations and factors involved?

Air service recruitment has become extremely competitive. Every airport and community in the country wants more and better air service. Airlines can gather empirical data, including demographics and economic data on a community but I think it’s important when vying for better service to develop a relationship with an airline in order to tell the rest of the story. We can provide information that the airlines aren’t normally able to gather such as new business and growth industries within our region as well as other trends that could affect local travel patterns. It is important to maintain these good relationships in order to sell your community to the airlines. 

“It also goes to interdependence; the more vibrant we are and the more our community uses the airport the better chance we have to attract new carriers and to get better service. We continue to talk to other airlines, but we also encourage expansion from our existing airlines. 

“The load factor (number of seats filled) is very strong out of Augusta. We have a track record showing we can fill these seats in our market. That definitely opens up opportunities for additional air service out of Augusta. I would like to see more direct routes out of our Airport and will work diligently to see that occur.” 

Is there land available for development surrounding the airport? What are your plans for development? 

“The Airport recently built an access road and utility corridor on the south side of the airport property. This has opened up more than one hundred acres for development in the Airport’s Industrial Park. The property has a rail spur on the southern edge and is close to the interstate highway system. Aerospace and the aviation industry are high paying sectors and would be great for the Airport as well as the community so my plans are to aggressively recruit new businesses to the Park

What key executive staff positions are you recruiting for now?

“With all of the growth at the Airport and our opportunities for development we have a strong need for an engineer on staff so we are currently recruiting for a Director of Engineering. We also plan to add a Director of Facilities and Maintenance.”

Do you think flying will be different for people in the region 10 years from now?

“There continues to be substantial year-to-year growth in air travel.  In the US, the FAA is in the process of making improvements in airspace efficiency primarily through upgrading their legacy navigational aid system with new GPS-based systems.”

“Over the past several years we’ve also seen a series of airline mergers and acquisitions to the point that we now have just a small group of legacy carriers along with the low cost and niche carriers.  This contraction has had significant impacts on competition within the industry.” “Another development is the airlines trending back towards the use of larger aircraft.  We’ll see how that will impact us.”

“Additionally, airports are becoming more cognizant of customer service.  The customer experience can often be a determinant of whether a customer chooses one airport versus another. The Augusta Regional Airport is extremely convenient with close, inexpensive parking, short passenger screening checkpoint lines, free wifi, free baggage carts, and a vibrant art program. 

At many of the larger airports we are now seeing things such as charging stations, spas, changing rooms and more.  We will continue to see those trends expand and the expectations of the traveling public will continue to push us to add new amenities.”