Ready for takeoff

BWI’s new CEO talks about what’s in store for the airport’s future

By Morgan Simpson – Reporter , Baltimore Business Journal

Dec 4, 2025

Shannetta Griffin stepped into her new role as leader of the Maryland Aviation Administration at a time when BWI Airport is completing major capital projects — and has more on the horizon.

Griffin, the executive director and CEO of the MAA, took the state’s top aviation job in April after former CEO Ricky Smith left to lead Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. She oversees the state’s aviation activity, including Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, which sees around 27 million passengers travel through each year.

Shannetta Griffin
Shannetta Griffin at BWI Airport.

She started the job at a time of major improvements for the state’s busiest airport. A $135 million Southwest Airlines maintenance facility opened there this year, a $450 million A/B concourse connector project is nearing completion and the airport just re-upped a 20-year concessions contract with Fraport Baltimore Partnership, capping a years-long procurement process.

Griffin most recently served as the associate administrator for the Federal Aviation Administration under the Biden-Harris Administration. There, she oversaw national airport safety and standards, planning, engineering, federal compliance and financial assistance programs.

As BWI continues to grow, Griffin plans to make necessary updates to the aging airport, which turned 75 this year, and ensure it carries on its role as an economic engine for the area. She spoke with the Baltimore Business Journal about the work ahead. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

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Southwest had a big year at BWI Airport with new routes, major projects

By Morgan Simpson – Reporter , Baltimore Business Journal

Nov 26, 2025

Southwest Airlines continued to double down this year on BWI Airport as its East Coast hub, adding new flights to the schedule and wrapping up some major projects.

The largest airline carrier at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport added or announced at least ninenew flight routes from Baltimore and opened a multimillion-dollar maintenance facility in 2025. As the Dallas-based carrier builds on its Maryland presence, it’s also making major changes to its business model, including the planned elimination of open seating starting in 2026.

“We feel very confident they’ll continue to expand their growth here at BWI and then do some things certainly around the country, too, to start expanding and being able to work through this new business model,” Shannetta Griffin, the new executive director and CEO of the Maryland Aviation Administration, told the Baltimore Business Journal in October of Southwest’s evolution.

This year, Southwest (NYSE: LUV) added nonstop, redeye service from Portland, Seattle and San Francisco, as well as three other California cities: Ontario, Long Beach and San Jose. Those additional flights came despite announcing a 1.5% reduction in the carrier’s flights nationwide in 2025. The airline also unveiled some new routes that will start in 2026: a direct flight to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands kicking off in February, daily service to Knoxville, Tennessee starting in March, and flights to the Caribbean island of St. Maarten launching in April.

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Historical marker unveiling ceremony to commemorate 75th anniversary of Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Maryland Department of Transportation Office of Public Affairs

David Broughton, 410-599-9428

**MEDIA ADVISORY**

WHAT: 

The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA), in partnership with the Maryland Historical Trust, will hold a historical marker unveiling ceremony to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

WHO: 

MDOT and MAA leadership 

State and local officials 

Airport partners and community members

WHEN: 

2-3 p.m., Thursday, November 6, 2025

WHERE: 

BWI Observation Gallery – Between TSA Security Checkpoint C and American Airlines Check-in on the airport’s Departures Level – 7050 Friendship Rd, Baltimore, MD 21240.

WHY: 

The ceremony will recognize critical airport and community partners and highlight the historical significance of the airport and its economic impact.

PARKING: 

Please park in the hourly garage. 

Media should park in the Hourly Garage or in the terminal surface lot behind the Hourly Garage, designated for news media.