St. Louis Lambert International Airport Director Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge says she plans to retire next fall.
In an announcement on Wednesday, the longtime director of the airport revealed her intentions, ending what will be a 16-year run at the helm.
“This has been a remarkable opportunity to transform the airport into not only the transportation center the region needs, but also the modern front door St. Louis deserves,” said Hamm-Niebruegge in a statement. “It has been a true honor to lead this airport for the past fifteen years, and I will depart knowing that we will leave it better than we found it.”
Hamm-Niebrugee has held the position since 2010, when she was appointed by then-Mayor Francis Slay. She worked in aviation food for more than 25 years, the majority of which was spent in St. Louis.
“Our airport and our region are much better off as a result of her leadership, and her work developing the plan to transform the airport has set the stage for our next chapter,” said Mayor Cara Spencer in a statement.
The news comes just a month after Hamm-Niebruegge and other officials announced a new British Airways direct flight to London starting next April and five-day-a-week service to Germany starting in June.
She leaves as the airport is posting record-setting passenger counts. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, last year's 15.9 million passengers marked the airport’s highest total since 2003.
The city plans to conduct a national search for Hamm-Niebruegge’s replacement.
