Meet Phillip A. Washington, the new Chief Executive Officer of Denver International Airport – The 2nd Largest Airport in the World

Originally from the South Side of Chicago – the housing projects of Altgeld Gardens – Washington is a 24-year veteran of the U.S. Army, where he held the rank of Command Sergeant Major, the highest non-commissioned officer rank an enlisted soldier can achieve. He retired from active duty, is a disabled veteran and was awarded the prestigious Defense Superior Service Medal for exceptional service to his country. He holds a B.A. in Business from Columbia College, an M.A. in Management from Webster University and is a graduate of the Harvard University Kennedy School for Senior Executives in State and Local Government. Phil is a past chair of APTA and a former member of the Executive Committee of the Transportation Research Board and the Eno Center for Transportation. Finally, Phil was recently appointed by U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, to serve on its Advisory Committee on Transportation Equity and in March 2024, Phil was nominated to serve on FAA’s Management Advisory council (MAC).

Phillip A. Washington was initially nominated by former Denver Mayor Michael Hancock in July 2021 and most recently by current Mayor Mike Johnston in July 2023. Phil was unanimously confirmed by the Denver City Council as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Denver International Airport (DEN) both times. In 2022, DEN was the world’s 3^rd busiest airport by passengers and is the 2^nd Largest Airport in the world by Size.
The annual economic impact of DEN is $36.4 billion and has 37,000 total badged employees with 25 air carriers and a total of 185+ concessions. Within weeks of Phil’s arrival, he set forth a vision for DEN, Vision 100, that will prepare the airport to accommodate 100 million passengers, a 30% increase in passengers by 2030.

At DEN, Phil oversees a $10 billion dollar Capital Improvement Program (CIP). During his tenure at DEN, Phil has led the resurgence of the airport, i.e., creating an ambitious vision that includes completely retrofitting the airport to accommodate 50 million more passengers than the airport was originally designed for; early planning of a massive 15,000 space consolidated rental car facility and automated passenger mover; design and construction of a new baggage handling system; pre-environmental work on a 7^th runway; opening of 39 new gates and relocation of airline ticket counters; accelerating the construction of the terminal (Great Hall) project; reducing the airport’s carbon footprint by plugging all abandon oil wells and installing more solar panels on property; no deficiencies on the airport’s last three Part 139 inspections (safety); completed the training curriculum and wrapping up design for a one-of-its kind “Center of Equity & Excellence in Aviation” that will introduce young people to the aviation industry and create career pathways for thousands of young people; and most importantly, Phil has created a culture of safety throughout the airport and amongst the 37,000 employees on campus. Phil and DEN broke ground on the center in December 2023.

Prior to Washington’s arrival at DEN, he was the CEO of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) from March 2015 to May 2021. As Metro’s CEO, Washington managed a balanced budget of $8.5 billion, was responsible for overseeing between $18-$20 billion in capital projects and provided oversight of an agency with 11,000 employees that transported 1.2 million boarding passengers daily on a fleet of 2,200 clean-air buses and six rail lines. Metro is a major construction and operating agency that oversees bus, rail, highway, and other mobility-related infrastructure projects – together representing the largest modern public works program in North America. Washington was engaged and partnering in all facets of transportation and infrastructure in LA County including aviation, goods movement, freight/railroads, water, public works, housing, congestion pricing/mitigation, and transit-oriented communities (TOCs).

Washington led the 2016 successful effort to pass Measure M, a new half- cent sales tax in Los Angeles County (the most populous county in the United States), which garnered 71.15% voter approval. Measure M is allowing Metro to build 40 major highway and transit projects over the next 40 years, create 778,000 jobs and provide $133.3 billion in economic impact for the region.

See more about Mr. Phillip A. Washington in our upcoming Newsletter…