Career Spotlight: Airport management

As the senior airport operations manager for the busiest general aviation airport in Virginia, Berry spends as much time in her truck as she does her office overlooking the field. She monitors airport activity by checking the 888 acres in the morning, looking for any unusual changes overnight—there have been chickens, swarms of bees, and other surprising challenges in her 16 years here.

“Every day is a different adventure! I love working at the airport as every day there is something new,” Berry said. “My schedule might be filled with meetings and daily tasks, but if there is a tenant in need or an emergency on the field, that is where I devote my energy. There are so many different hats I get to wear, and I like that my job is not always behind a desk. I get to spend half my time in the office and the other out on the field. I like plowing in the winter and having airport events in the warmer months. When we have been short-staffed, I have even volunteered to help with grass cutting on the runways and taxiways.”

Juan Rivera is the airport director for Manassas Regional Airport and Berry’s boss. He has run the airport for nearly 20 years. A former Marine, he has a degree in aviation management. He is mostly in the office while Berry gets out more. “I am in the office; I supervise a great staff. We are a staff of eight. I’m administration and oversee the airport, the budget, apply for grants, pay the bills. Operations like Jolene do the day-to-day stuff, and our maintenance guys keep the lights on,” Rivera said.

Rivera said running an airport involves a lot of behind-the-scenes work. “My wife is a teacher, so I go to schools and talk to students about my job. They ask do you fly the airplane? I say no. They ask do you move the airplanes? I say no. So, what do you do? They then ask. It’s a lot of juggling a lot of balls in the air; I could write a book,” he said. He’s the one who had to corral the 10 errant chickens who suddenly ran amuck on the runway, and he called the beekeeper to move the swarm from a tenant’s car.

Manassas Regional Airport has 400 based aircraft, 30 businesses, five flight schools, and contributes $375 million to the city. “I think to be an airport manager you need to understand all aspects of what it takes to operate an airport. With a general aviation airport there is no rule manual, like you have at a Part 139 [commercial] airport. Manassas Regional Airport is a busy general aviation airport. We have to be able to make decisions that are in the best interest of the airport and for our tenants while continuing to grow the airport,” said Berry. “Risk management is something that can keep any airport manager awake at night. I try to make sure every decision is safe and keeps the airport operating in a safe manner. We have an airport commission that has a broad range of backgrounds and aids in the development of the airport also. Some decisions have to be made promptly, while other decisions can be pondered for a bit. With any decision, treating people fair and being consistent goes a long way.”

Rivera agrees: “The best aspect is the people—and making sure they have a safe place to land.”

[email protected]