High Altitude Partners · Airports
Airports operate under a unique set of regulatory, safety, and operational demands. HAP places the leadership and operations professionals who understand those demands — and can meet them from day one.
The Market in 2026
There are currently 13 open Airport Director, Executive Director, and CEO positions on the AAAE career board — and that is only what is being advertised publicly. The most sensitive and consequential searches rarely appear on any public board at all. Airport director roles require a minimum of ten years of aviation-specific experience. The external pipeline for that level of leadership is thin and getting thinner.
Roles We Place
High Altitude Partners works across the full range of airport leadership and professional roles — from CEO to specialist operations positions — with a focus on candidates who understand the regulatory, safety, and operational environment of a Part 139 airport.
Executive Leadership
The most consequential hire an airport authority makes. We reach candidates who are not advertising their availability and ensure the brief is right before any search begins.
Operations
Part 139 compliance, airfield management, and day-to-day operational leadership. Candidates must understand the regulatory environment from the inside.
Finance & Administration
Airport finance is a specialist discipline. Capital programmes, airline agreements, public funding structures — we find leaders who understand all of it.
Safety & Compliance
Safety is non-negotiable at every airport. We place leaders who carry the regulatory knowledge and the operational credibility to build and sustain a genuine safety culture.
Planning & Development
Infrastructure investment and route development require a specific combination of aviation knowledge and project leadership. We find the people who can deliver both.
Technical & Engineering
The technical infrastructure of an airport is as critical as its operational leadership. We place candidates who understand aviation environments, not just the discipline.
Every airport we work with operates under a unique set of FAA regulatory requirements. Our team understands what Part 139 certification means in practice — the inspection regime, the safety management obligations, the operational standards that every candidate we place must be able to work within from day one. We do not place generalists into aviation roles and hope they learn. We place people who already know this world.
Tell us about the role and the environment it sits in. We will show you how we run a search built for Part 139 leadership.