Airport Experience® News - ACDBE Issue 2026

DIRECTOR’S CHAIR

AIRPORT CONNECTIONS CVG May No Longer Be A Hub, But Connecting – With Team Members, Passengers And The Community – Is Top Of Mind For Its CEO

BY CAROL WARD

ditor’s Note: For Lawrence Krauter, CEO of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), the “E” in CEO stands for both Encouragement and Expectation. He likes to say he is both the chief encouragement officer and the chief expectation officer in his role leading CVG. Most days, he spends part of his day in the airport terminal, talking with passengers and with the CVG team to ensure open lines of communication. “You have to be really open about it and make sure that you’re making time to not lose connection,” he says of his leadership style. Krauter joined CVG in March 2025 after serving as CEO of Spokane Airports for 14 years. Now, about 14 months into his tenure at CVG, Krauter met with AXN’s Carol Ward to discuss the challenges and opportunities he sees at the airport. E

WARD: It’s been a little over year since you joined CVG. How was the transition from Candace McGraw’s leadership to yours? KRAUTER: We had a very successful and smooth transition. I give a lot of credit to Candace and the staff. She had been here a long time, and there are obviously different styles and different ways of doing things. I think she fully prepared the team to have a different type of leader. WARD: Now that you’re fully enmeshed in the organization, what are your key goals going forward? KRAUTER: After I was selected to join the team, the board asked me what does [transition] look like for you? They wanted to know what would form my first 90 days and beyond. And I said, ‘burn lots of shoe leather.’ There’s no other way to execute. You’ve got to move around the organization, move around the community. You’ve got to go move around [Washington] DC. You’ve got to move around the state capitals. As an example, I had 23 separate department meetings in less than a year, and one-on-one meetings with all 13 board members, as well as networking across the community with the chambers [of commerce] and economic development organizations in both Ohio and

Kentucky. I’ve been meeting congressional delegations, meeting state legislators and appointed officials as well. Then I also spent time studying – understanding the policies of the organization, studying planning documents, understanding the capital improvement program, understanding how things are staffed and why…. It’s intense, but it’s an enjoyable intensity, because you’re just learning so much and meeting so many people. WARD: Now in year two, have you met everybody in the community that you need to meet? KRAUTER: I think there’s more to do. I’m always asking for that next person to talk to. The way that I see it, I’m constantly exploring, constantly intrigued by what other people are doing. WARD: Let’s drill down into some specifics. Can you set the stage for me. Where is CVG in terms of passenger traffic, and what’s the trend? KRAUTER: 2025 was relatively flat over 2024. We’ve seen a lot of airline adjustments and capacity coming off Covid … and things are starting to become a bit more normalized again. Airlines are still figuring out some of the changes in consumer behavior. Looking ahead, we see some nice increases in overall

Above: Lawrence Krauter, CEO of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.

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AX NEWS JUNE 2026