NEW ORLEANS – Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport announced that Director of Aviation, Iftikhar Ahmad, is the 2015 recipient of Rotary Club of Metairie’s Citizen of the Year Award.
The Rotary Club of Metairie was founded in 1953 as one of the hundreds of local Rotary Clubs world-wide that make up Rotary International. Members of the Club are citizens of the area from many vocations and occupations who share the belief in Rotary's motto, "Service Above Self."
Each year, the Club recognizes someone who has made outstanding effort to improve the community with the Citizen of the Year Award.
This 2015 award recognizes the Airport’s accomplishments during Ahmad’s five year tenure including:
• Robust increase of more than 31% in passenger boardings as a result of adding 12 new airlines and 23 new non-stop destinations.
• Established a clear path forward on strategic development by implementing the North Terminal Project that would provide for a World Class Airport by executing an $826M capital program. This strategic project will create 13,498 jobs and will have a $1.76B economic impact on the region.
• Reduced the airline cost of doing business at the Airport by significant annual decreases in the airline cost per enplanement (CPE), with the 2014 CPE estimate of $8.03 versus the a projected $16.31; thereby making New Orleans more attractive to the airlines so that they can add more service.
• Reformed Airport procurement by situated 160 contracts, which saved the Airport around $25M and increased revenues from concessions and other revenue generating contracts.
• Enhanced customer service with Airport staff responding to more than 99% of all customer inquiries in less than 24 hours.
• Instituted a mystery shopper program for concessions that improved customer service scores, with 19 stores receiving a rating of over 90% in January 2014 as compared to no stores receiving such scores when the program started in February 2013.
• Completed the $300M plus Airport Modernization Program in 2013 that enhanced the first best impression of New Orleans on the visitors. The concession program was also modernized and revamped to establish a “sense of place” at the Airport while improving concession revenues to the Airport.
"We think Mr. Ahmad is the perfect recipient of our Citizen of the Year Award," said President Joey Nieto of the Rotary Club of Metairie. “His hard work and dedication has improved the operations and financial condition of the Airport with a high level of transparency.”
