Succession planning in operation at Airports Authority
Wayne DaCosta receives his master’s degree certificate
(CNS Local Life): The Cayman Islands Airports Authority (CIAA) is putting succession planning into action for the post of chief airport operations officer, having selected Wayne DaCosta to be trained towards that position, with both education opportunities and experience at international airports. DaCosta recently received his Master’s Degree (MSc) in Airport Planning and Management, having completed his studies at Cranfield University in Bedforshire in the UK, which was fully-funded by the CIAA. He received the award in person at a graduation ceremony held on 29 June 2018 at the university.
CIAA Chief Human Resources Officer Mario Ebanks noted that DaCosta was selected to undertake an academic and professional development programme following his success in an in-house and transparent competition application and assessment exercise, which resulted in him being named the CAOO nominee as he began his studies.
According to a release from the CIAA, DaCosta began his studies in September 2016, persevering with an intensive academic workload that included an extensive battery of courses, a group project and a thesis during the year-long course of study, culminating with a successful completion in September 2017.
Courses completed included Air Transport Market Analysis and Forecasting, Airport Design, Airport Environmental Planning, Airport Operations, Airport Finance & Business Management, Airport Strategic Planning, Regulatory Policy and Air Law, Fundamentals of the Air Transport Industry, and Research Methods and Statistics.
“I am very grateful to the Cayman Islands Airports Authority for affording me the opportunity to study a full-time master’s degree and at such a well-recognised university in the field of aviation. It has been an intense, challenging and rewarding year of academic and practical studies that has enabled me to gain many varied perspectives on airport planning and management,” DaCosta said.
As a subsequent part of an overall plan to further develop him for the post of CAOO, he was given the opportunity to gain insights and exposure into how international airports in the United Kingdom and the USA conduct the business of operating and managing complex airport systems in today’s volatile and stringently regulated aviation environments, the CIAA said.
In the period from October to December 2017, after completing his master’s degree at Cranfield, DaCosta was attached to Southampton International Airport, Aberdeen International Airport and Glasgow International Airport in the UK for customised job-shadowing stints. There he gained extensive exposure and experience at all levels of these organisations in the areas of security, airside operations, landside operations, terminal operations, safety management and air traffic management.
While in the UK, he visited with the Air Safety Support International (ASSI), the regulatory body “responsible for supporting the overseas territories’ existing authorities in the safety regulation of all aspects of civil aviation”. He also accompanied aerodrome inspectors and observed a four-day airport audit at the Edinburgh Airport in Scotland, which was conducted by the UK Civil Aviation Authority.
After returning to the Cayman Islands in December 2017, other developmental opportunities were provided to DaCosta, including two occasions to accompany Federal Aviation Administration Aerodrome inspectors during FAA Part 139 audit inspections of Fort Myers and Palm Beach International Airports in Florida. He also attended airport emergency planning training at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia.
“Aviation is a very exciting and dynamic field, and airports worldwide are emerging from the days of providing a utilitarian type of service towards becoming a customer centric commercial enterprise. This is a great time to be involved in aviation, with so many changes and exciting things happening. I am very excited and looking forward to continue being instrumental in helping the Airports Authority and the Cayman Islands to realise modern and dynamic airports that will instill pride whilst providing service excellence beyond the travelling public’s expectations,” DaCosta said.
CIAA CEO Albert Anderson said, “The CIAA Board of Directors and I are very happy that we were able to commence a holistic Caymanian succession plan for this important position within the CIAA. We welcome Wayne to the senior leadership team of the authority and wish him well as he continues to make a solid contribution.”
DaCosta first joined the CIAA in April 2007 as manager of telecommunications and electronic engineering and has held various roles within the authority, including senior manager of information communication services for several years. Prior to leaving for Cranfield, he held the post of manager of communication, navigation and surveillance.
The CIAA owns and operates the Owen Roberts International Airport (ORIA) and the Charles Kirkconnell International Airport (CKIA).
Category: Airport
This is exactly what the airport needed! Congratulations! Wishing you lots of success & all the best in your future endeavours!
Congratulations Wayne and best wishes. You are honest, calm, cool and collected. The airport needed someone like you.