Alliance Airport President Tim Ward, who has overseen the north Fort Worth industrial airport's operations since it opened in 1989, will retire at the end of the year.
Ward, 63, will be replaced by another Hillwood Properties executive, Tom Harris, who has been involved in developing AllianceTexas for 20 years."Everybody reaches a time when they reflect and say, 'I worked my entire life and now may be a time to move on and do something different.' And that is what I'm planning on doing," Ward said.He said he was proud "to be part of the initial team as we started Alliance and seeing what it is today and how important it is to North Texas."Ward managed the airport's fixed-base operations and oversaw more than $200 million in public funding for the airport's expansion.This month, Alliance received a $10 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to expand its runways.Ward said the project will allow the airport to continue to develop its cargo operations. Aircraft will be able to take off fully loaded to fly anywhere in the world."Tim has made a tremendous impact on Hillwood, on our city and on the aviation industry," Hillwood Chairman Ross Perot Jr. said. "Tim's leadership in managing not only the world's first industrial airport but also one of the first major airport privatization efforts in the U.S. is unparalleled."Andrea Ahles, 817-390-7631Twitter: @Sky_TalkHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
