Airports Council International (ACI) World’s Director General, Angela Gittens, has received the prestigious 2017 National Aeronautic Association’s (NAA) Cliff Henderson Trophy. The accolade was presented by Norman Y. Mineta, Secretary, United States Department of Transportation and Founder, Mineta Transportation Institute, at the April NAA Luncheon in Arlington, Virginia.

 

Permanently displayed at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, the Henderson Trophy was established in 1960 to honor Clifford W. Henderson, the creator and Managing Director of the world-renowned National Air Races. Henderson’s work stimulated a generation’s interest in aviation and challenged the state of the art in aviation development. The trophy is awarded to “…a living individual, group of individuals, or an organization whose vision, leadership or skill made a significant and lasting contribution to the promotion and advancement of aviation and aerospace in the United States.”

 

“I am beyond honoured to be awarded the Henderson Trophy,” said Gittens. “We are part of an industry that is about keeping the world connected and generating value for the world’s communities and their economies. For my part of this industry, the airports, we saw 7.6 billion travelers, 90 million aircraft movements and 109 million metric tonnes of air cargo in 2016. For us to continue to play our role, we have to invest in safe and secure infrastructure for our airline and passenger customers to use, we must provide excellent customer service and we must exercise sound environmental stewardship. We are the enablers of our communities to attract and retain the air service upon which they depend. I am proud to represent an organization which is committed to this goal—the sustainable development of airports and the industry.

 

“This trophy does not honour one individual, group or organization but the collective synergy of aviation and aerospace in the country and the world at large,” concluded Gittens. “Together we have brought the industry to very high standards of performance and together we will continue to advance to serve the needs and demands of our customers and our communities.”