By Megan Sayles
AFRO Staff Writer
msayles@afro.com
After nearly a decade of leadership, Ricky D. Smith is stepping down from his post as CEO and executive director of the Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA). He will no longer head the Baltimore Washington International (BWI) Thurgood Marshall Airport.
Smith is now bound for Georgia where he will start a new position as the general manager for the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world’s busiest airport, on April 2. Before take-off, the AFRO connected with Smith to reflect on his accomplishments during his tenure.
Q: How has BWI grown or changed under your leadership?
A: When I arrived the airport did not have a strategic plan. The organizational structure was not one that could support the 22nd biggest airport in the country. The team and I were able to put the infrastructure in place from a staffing, organizational structure and strategic planning standpoint.
Since then, we’ve been focused on bringing additional capacity to the airport. Southwest Airlines has been on a continuous growth pattern, and we were able to bring in other domestic and international carriers. We started by opening six additional gates on the international concourse to support international carriers, and we added five additional gates to support Southwest Airlines growth here at the airport.
Whenever you add capacity to the airport from a traffic standpoint, you have to focus on the amenities as well. One of the top amenities at an airport is restrooms. We were able to grow and enhance the restrooms at the airport, and they have been recognized as the top restrooms in the country.
The last major thing that we’ve done is launch the A/B Connector and Baggage Handling System project for Southwest Airlines. That is a $500 million project that will completely overhaul the Southwest Airlines terminal. It will introduce expanded hold rooms, a new connector, more concession space and, most importantly, it almost doubles the baggage handling capacity for Southwest Airlines. We also negotiated a 30-year agreement with the airline to build a new aircraft maintenance facility. It will be their first on the East Coast.
Q: How has BWI’s role in the Baltimore-Washington region evolved during your tenure?
A: People generally look at airports as a mode of transportation. That’s certainly true. We are public utilities and our basic role is to help people get from one location to another. But, I think we’ve been able to expand the focus to airports being economic drivers. There’s an enormous spin-off as it relates to business development at airports that doesn’t always get a lot of attention. BWI contributes $11.3 billion in annual economic impact to Maryland.
More important than the general awareness of airports as an economic driver is the focus on minority business participation at BWI. There are minority businesses participating in our concessions, parking and advertising and marketing programs. The number of minority-owned businesses in Maryland that recognize the airport as a place where they can go and do business has expanded exponentially. We’ve become a model in the country in terms of creating opportunities for people who otherwise would not get into the airport.
Q: BWI and its manager of retail, restaurant and commercial services, Fraport USA, have been running the Launch Pad program to give small and minority businesses an opportunity to sell their products and services in the airport. Can you provide an update on the program?
A: Our Launch Pad program has become a model. We’re able to enable minority-owned firms and micro businesses to get into the airport without having to make a huge capital investment or operate under burdensome leases.
We started the program with six participants, and most of them have moved on to other opportunities. But, we still have two that continue to operate here at the airport. Today, we have 10 businesses in the program, and we’re very proud of that.
In addition to increasing the number of participants, we’ve also been able to refine the program to offer more wrap-around and advisory services. This helps participants get access to financing and to engage them in the border airport industry. Last year, we sponsored five participants in the Launch Pad program to attend the National Airport Minority Advisory Council’s conference in Nashville.
Q: More broadly, why was it important that BWI engage minority businesses with opportunities to grow and scale at the airport under your leadership?
A: As an economic driver, there should be no limitations on who can benefit from economic opportunities. It is incumbent upon us to make sure that we are removing any barriers that may make it difficult for anyone to access these opportunities.
We know there are historical factors that make it more difficult for some to take advantage of opportunities than others. It’s important to me that we take the extra step to ensure that those who are disadvantaged have a fair shot. People tend to take the benefits of their business and their employment back to their communities. If we want to expand the benefits of our economics to communities who have not always benefitted from those spoils, we need to invite diverse people into opportunities.
Q: In the midst of fear over aviation safety following a number of plane crashes in 2025, what is your message to travelers at this time?
There is a shortage of air traffic controllers and mechanics. That’s been the case for more than 10 years. Where there is a shortage, there’s a need for professionals. Our young, emerging workers should be pursuing those opportunities because they’re well-paid, in-demand and rewarding jobs.
Air transportation is still the safest form of transportation in the country and in the world. Crashes are so rare that when they happen, they get a lot of attention, and I understand that. People become nervous, rightfully so. But, I think the infrastructure that supports this transportation system will come together, and we will continue to do everything we can to ensure it remains the safest mode of transportation. It is safe to fly commercial, and it is safe to fly private.
