Miami-Dade Deputy Aviation Director Elected President Of Airport Council International Latin America and The Caribbean (ACI-LAC)

MIAMI – Miguel Southwell, Deputy Director of Business Retention and Development for the Miami-Dade Aviation Department (MDAD), was elected president of the Latin American and Caribbean region of Airports Council International (ACI), the official worldwide association of airports.

Southwell’s election was announced at the Annual Assembly and Conference for ACI Latin America and the Caribbean (ACI-LAC) in Panama City, Panama on November 25.

As ACI-LAC president, Southwell will represent the region’s 66 members that operate 260 airports in 37 countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Southwell was elected president of ACI-LAC for a two-year term, having served on the regional board of ACI-LAC and on the ACI World Governing Board for the past six years.

Miguel Southwell
In his role as MDAD Deputy Director of Business Retention and Development, Southwell is responsible for commercial operations, marketing and real estate management at Miami International Airport and Miami-Dade County’s four general aviation airports. Prior to joining MDAD, Southwell served at Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport for 11 years in a number of positions including Acting Assistant Director of Business and Finance, where he directed the divisions of finance, accounting, properties, airport concessions, ground transportation, marketing, public relations and intergovernmental affairs.

ACI, formed in 1991 by airport operators around the world, is the first worldwide association established to represent the common interests of the air transport industry and foster cooperation with industry partners. Through ACI, the airport community speaks as a united industry on key issues and concerns despite regional diversity. ACI consists of five world regions: Africa; Asia-Pacific; Europe; Latin America and the Caribbean; and North America.

Since 1991, MIA has held a unique position within ACI as both a full member of ACI-LAC – the only North American airport permitted to do so under the ACI-LAC bylaws – as well as an affiliate member of the North America region. MIA’s dual membership has helped the airport strengthen its competitive position as the gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean – a role that is both coveted and aggressively pursued by MIA’s North American airport competitors – and has also allowed it to be one of the most vocal advocates in the North American region for favorable airport federal legislation.

MIA’s ACI-LAC membership has also generated collaborations with member airports to promote and develop new passenger and cargo service and other revenue-producing opportunities in the region.

Among those in support of Southwell’s election was Miami-Dade County Commissioner and Airport and Tourism Committee Chairman José “Pepe” Diaz, a panelist at the Annual Assembly and Conference speaking on the subject of the “Role of Local Governments in Airport Oversight.”