Minneapolis airport operator appoints AI director
The Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), which operates Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and six general aviation airports, has appointed Nick Running (pictured) as Assistant Director of Data and Artificial Intelligence as it expands its use of emerging technologies.
Running will lead the organisation’s enterprise data practice, including geographic information systems (GIS), and help establish governance and policies for the adoption of AI across airport operations.
“The role will help the organisation govern beyond current capabilities with an outlook for how we engage with new tools and data in the future,” Eduardo Valencia, MAC’s Chief Information Officer and President of the Airports AI Alliance, told AAA.
“Nick will lead us to adopt AI-specific governance and policies that enable the safe and efficient use of AI systems to maximise their capabilities.”
The appointment comes as MAC explores how AI can improve operational efficiency, passenger services and infrastructure planning across its airport system. Valencia confirmed that the organisation already has AI proofs of concept underway, targeting operational challenges and longer-term decision-making.
“There are tremendous opportunities to use AI across the airport ecosystem: predicting maintenance needs, matching resources to passenger demand from curb to gate, making security and accessibility work better for travellers and using data to sharpen concessions and customer feedback,” he said.
“We have proofs of concept to utilise AI underway to address core airport business problems and the long-range planning analysis that can help better guide our operations for decades.”
The initiatives highlight MAC’s efforts to use AI to improve resource allocation, infrastructure management and the passenger experience.
Running brings more than 20 years of experience in data, analytics and technology, having previously worked across corporate travel, healthcare, agriculture and software services. Most recently, he was Manager of Data Engineering at GovDocs, following leadership roles at CHS Inc., UnitedHealth Group and Ecolab.
His responsibilities will also include strengthening MAC’s enterprise data capabilities and supporting the development of more connected and reliable information systems. The appointment is intended to provide the governance and technical foundations needed to support wider AI adoption across the airport system.
Image: MAC