AIRWAYS INTERVIEW brand that makes lots of people want to work for us . We ’ ve actually staffed up in order to get ready for the new terminal opening . And I would say that , as leaders in this industry , it ’ s our responsibility to make our companies competitive for key talents . And we ’ ve done that very successfully .
One of the data points that I looked at right when I got there was how many applicants per position we get . And I can tell you that it has increased by lots and lots and lots of percentage points and raw numbers . Because we have made it clear that we ’ re not just a facility where you can be a plumber or a carpenter or a finance professional . But you ’ re actually connecting Pittsburgh to the world and the world to Pittsburgh .
you going to have in there ?’ It ’ s like , I don ’ t know what ’ s going to be possible at this point , right ? So now we ’ re looking at what the data can enable . So , yeah , we ’ ve designed the facility . Now we ’ re designing the services . So , as we get closer and as we solidify the date , we ’ ll certainly let you know .
When you see the growth that is going on in India , and the new airports that are being constructed or what ’ s been constructed in Asia or in the Middle East , there ’ s a lot that we can learn from some of these amazing airports and make sure that we bring in the elements that fit into the market in Pittsburgh .
Pittsburgh is an origin and destination airport , no question , and it ’ s in the Midwest of the United States , but we ’ re connected to a global system and people travel . So we want to make sure that people feel as comfortable in Pittsburgh as they do in Dubai , in Singapore , in Amsterdam . Replicate the passenger experience , and we have a whole service design team that we brought in-house in order to see what we can do with that . Excellent .
During the pandemic , one of the side effects was the reduction in staff . And not only for airports , but also for airlines and OEMs . Most of the problems we are still seeing in the industry today stem from that . So , how are you tackling the shortage of airport staff ? We don ’ t have an issue . We have created an employer
And there ’ s a really big mission behind it . So , when I listen to the AGM and I listen to the Minister of Economy here in the UAE , and he talks about the importance of aviation to an economy , that ’ s how we talk . So , we actually are not finding that there ’ s a labor shortage .
Our airline partners are not struggling in Pittsburgh . It ’ s a good market where we have a lot of skilled people who want great jobs , and the airport is growing . We have had a little bit of an issue in some of the tradespeople that have been necessary to build the new terminal .
We have managed it all the way through . I don ’ t feel like we ’ re struggling . And I think that there ’ s an opportunity for leaders everywhere to find a way to position their aviation interests in the minds of job seekers . It ’ s a phenomenal opportunity .
Talking about the workforce , it ’ s one of the cores of innovation . With the rise of artificial intelligence , do you foresee it replacing people in the airports in the future ? I see AI making jobs more interesting . I see new jobs getting created and I see tasks getting replaced , not people . This is a people industry . I am very , very , very bullish about the fact that AI is incredibly important . It ’ s going to enable amazing things to happen . And , when things go wrong , you want a person , not a machine , to help solve your problem .
Especially in travel , where you ’ re usually on your way to or from something really important to you . So , my feeling is people walk into an airport sort of at 10 . And if something goes wrong , they go right to 20 .
52 AIRWAYS MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2024 www . airwaysmag . com