A Fast 5 with Jonathan Hanna
Flexibility, Adaptability, and Unlocking New Opportunities in Airport Management
Airport operations look different at every location. At Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA), which is a gateway to tourism and a major economic driver for The Bahamas, the guest experience is a top priority.
To learn more, we sat down with Jonathan Hanna, VP, Operations and Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD), a member of the Vantage network.
Jonathan leads a team responsible for directing, planning, and managing airport facilities including all airline, landside and terminal operations at LPIA. He also directs the development and execution of the airport’s long- and short-term operations plans while maintaining stakeholder relationships and growing industry knowledge within the organization.
Our fast five interview covers:
- Jonathan’s career journey
- His favorite part of his job
- The keys to airport operations
- Trends emerging at airports
- What he’s most excited for in 2026
What was your career journey? Did you always want to work in aviation?
I’ve always been fascinated by planes. I like to say it’s the “why” behind what I do.
My dad would fly model airplanes. He had Microsoft Flight Simulator, and he took me to the airport on the weekends because I loved watching the planes.
I started at NAD as an intern, even taking unpaid opportunities when they came up to get as much experience as I could. Eventually, I went on to earn my BA in aviation management and my master’s degree in aviation development and management.
What’s your favorite part of your job?
It’s twofold. I love airplanes, and I love meeting new people.
The aviation business is a people business. The thing about LPIA is that whether you’re traveling or coming to the airport for work, you get to meet so many interesting people, from so many diverse backgrounds, who can each offer unique perspectives on life.
I also love getting to see cool new airplanes when they come in. So, the combination of loving airplanes and meeting new people, from across the industry and the world, are highlights for me.
What are some of the most important considerations when it comes to airport operations today?
Adaptability and flexibility. The world we live in is constantly changing, and in this business, you need to be able to pivot. With things changing so quickly, it’s important to strategically adapt and adjust.
There are times when things are going well, and there are challenging times. On a personal level, having your “why” is important, to ground you and remind you why you got into this work.
Of course, safety is ingrained in everything we do. We want to operate a safe, efficient airport and that requires attention to detail, collaboration, and teamwork — that’s the foundation of everything we do.
What trends do you see emerging for airports?
It’s an interesting time. There’s a lot of learning happening.
With the boom in AI, everyone’s trying to figure out how to incorporate that into the work they do. For some people, having AI assist with mundane tasks can free up time to focus on the more critical elements of their work.
From a guest experience perspective, it’s great to have access to more data to help us understand the market. As Millennial and Gen Z consumers take over most of the buying power, guest behavior and expectations are changing. These consumers care less about material things and more about experiences, so we have to adjust our airport environment to cater to those preferences without isolating other parts of the market.
What are you most excited for in 2026?
The future is really bright for us. Despite all of the uncertainty in the world, we continue to see opportunities to make LPIA an airport everyone loves to travel through.
I’m also really excited about our guest experience program. We’re currently working on a few enhancements to expedite passenger processing stages. This will increase dwell time in the terminal, and hopefully lead to more spending at concessions, while significantly improving the experience for passengers.
We’re expanding our use of real-time data to proactively enhance the guest experience. We’re implementing QR codes throughout the airport to gather information on what’s working and where we can improve.
We’ll need to be flexible, nimble, and ready to adapt and we are well positioned to do that.
Visit our Lynden Pindling International Airport Location Profile
Resource Hub
Discover How Vantage Elevates Transportation Experiences
At Vantage, we’re launching innovative airport redesign projects and reimagining the future of transportation. See More in Our Resource Hub
Transforming Transportation, Together
Let’s partner to bring your ideas to life, building sustainable, connected airports and transportation centers together.